UNIOSUN shooting: We can no longer walk freely, Osun students cry out
Students studying in various higher institutions in Osun State have raised the alarm that they could barely walk freely on the streets without being harassed.
The students also alleged that policemen in the state do exploit them in the guise of searching for criminals.
The Senate President of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Salam Oyejide, relayed the experiences of the students in a press statement on Monday.
In the statement, Salam expressed concern over the increasing killings, harassment and assaults of its members by policemen.
According to him, constant killings and assault of Nigerian students for unjust reasons further dims the future of the country.
Oyejide recalled that some students were
shot, harassed, assaulted at Osun State University (UNIOSUN), The Polytechnic Ibadan, University of Port Harcourt, Federal University of Technology, Akure, and Ekiti State University among others.
He specifically expressed sadness with the shooting of UNIOSUN students because they refused to give room for exploitation.
He narrated that some of the students succumbed to the alleged exploitation by the policemen because of the fear that they may be shot and tagged criminals even when they were found innocent after search.
“Reports getting to us is that our members can no longer walk freely most especially outside their school campus in Osun State because of constant harassment and exploitation by policemen. We are not saying that the police should not do their work but that must be done objectively and not to exploit innocent students,” he warned.
It would be recalled that investigation is ongoing on the alleged shooting of two students of UNIOSUN by policemen in Osun State over the students refusal to be exploited.
Daily Times had exclusively reported that policemen in Osun State were accused of exploiting youths with expensive phones and dressing ‘flashy’.
The policemen, it was reported, are doing this by planting their men at strategic locations, including Automated Teller Machine (ATM) points in the state in search of Internet fraudsters popularly called ‘yahoo boys’
He, however, recommended that Nigeria Police and other security agents should be made to undergo a compulsory mental test before they are recruited and given gun.
He said, “It is barbaric, sad and unfortunate that those that are supposed to be protecting us are the ones killing us. This calls for a national concern as it appears that neither the Presidency nor Inspector General is doing something about it.
“We cannot expect students and youths in the country to be peaceful and exhibit spirit of patriotism with the kind of experience and exposure they get in their daily endeavours. For instance, killing of ones colleague will definitely leave a terrible psychological effect in ones memory.
“It is high time the Nigerian Police Force took the bull by its horns and do the needful. If need be, unfit officers and those who lack proper emotional intelligence like those killing students around should be dismissed.”
Oyejide appealed to the Ministry of Education, stakeholders in-charge of eduction and youth affairs to intervene to avoid massive and uncontrollable confrontation.
He added, “We must be reminded that there is no law in any part of the world, including Nigeria that prohibits self-defence especially in a situation where those that should be protecting you are your killers or not doing so.
“We have consistently preach peace to our members at all levels but our security operatives should know that they have failed in their duty of protecting Nigerian students. The violent action of Nigeria’s policemen against Nigeria students is a direct mockery of the 1999 constitution of Nigeria (as amended), especially areas that has to do with safety vis-a-vis fundamental human rights.”
He, however, demanded for an open prosecution of police officers involved in shooting, harassing and assaulting students.
“Policemen open prosecution will serve as a signal that Nigeria Police can be trusted and imposed with confidence to some extent,” he added.
