Thirty-two members of staff and students of the Federal College of Education(Technical), Akoka, Lagos have been arrested by the Lagos Police Command on Monday for allegedly vandalising school property including cars while protesting on campus.
The workers and students were said to be protesting against the re-appointment for second term of the incumbent provost of the school, Dr Azeez Wahab, who has been locked out of office for more than three months now by some staff of the school who also against his return as the provost.
The individuals including men and women were seen with big sticks in a viral video on Monday night rioting on campus and vandalised vehicles on sight.
The Lagos State Police Command’s spokesman, Mr Benjamin Hundeyin, announced the arrest of the 32 suspects through his official X(Twitter) handle, adding that they are now cooling off their heels in the police custody.
He also confirmed that five vehicles were damaged by the rioters.
According to him, a team set up by the Minister of Education arrived FCET Akoka today to mediate the ongoing impasse on campus.
“However, staff of the college aided by students attacked the team from Abuja, damaging over five vehicles and the Provost’s official quarters.
“The rioting staff and students also blocked all entrances in and out of the college, but the police arrived the scene and restored normalcy after being attacked with stones and sachets of water by the rioters.”
Hundeyin noted that men of the Police Force from the Area Command in Surulere are stationed on campus “to ensure that the restored peace remains intact.”
Meanwhile, Nigerian Tribune gathered that it was not a team from the Minister of Education that came to the school but members of the newly constituted governing council.
That the team from the minister had visited about two weeks ago for mediation but without success while passing the responsibility to the newly constituted governing council members to handle.
It was now that the enlarged council members came to hold their meeting which are scheduled for three days within which to mediate on the inherited crisis when the aggrieved workers and students denied the provost who is a member of the council access to the venue on the premise that they don’t want him again as their provost.
Nigerian Tribune further gathered that the provost having sensed danger quicky left the scene and returned to his official quarters while the protesters were said to be throwing stones and sachet of water at him.
And in the process, some of them went berserk and started vandalising the vehicles on sight as also shown in the viral video.
It was gathered that two of the vehicles, which are cars belonged to members of the governing council who came for the said meeting and the rest belonged to the school.
According to impeccable sources on campus who spoke on condition of anonymity, the intervention of the police men doused the tension.
The source added that the school will be officially shut early Tuesday morning and the students will be directed to vacate the hostel until further notice when the tension would have permanently doused.
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