A video has emerged showing how security personnel at the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) in crack down arrested 38 students in a female hostel of the school.
Those arrested, PRNigeria learnt, were among those who protested the increase in their tuition fee, and terrible living condition at the University.
But in another media report, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Aliyu Shugaba, says he is not aware of any increase of school fees in the institution as alleged by rampaging students.
The VC alleged that those who were involved in the protests were mostly miscreants who are living around the school but are not bonafide students of the University. He vowed they would face the law as soon as possible.
” They are claiming that we are increasing fees yet we are not supplying electricity to them. The truth is that we all know how the city of Maiduguri had been without light since January.
“Management cannot afford to give them twenty four hours light but we are trying our best within these trying times to do what we can to help them” said the VC.
Shugaba said those he described as miscreants started making trouble when his team of investigators went round to fish out those who are staying illegally on the campus and are not students.
“It is the tension of Monday evening that was carried out on Tuesday afternoon after they succeeded in instigating others in joining them to destabliize the peace of the University community,”
Hundreds of the female students gathered on Monday and staged a peaceful protest, but met a stiff resistance from security agents drafted to foil the protest.
The security personnel, suppressed the students through the use excessive force, it was learnt.
Many of the female students who scampered for safety where wounded in the process, while others where tortured with sticks by the security guards.
At least 18 of the protesting students were arrested and detained at the security office in the University where they were kept in detiorating conditions until Tuesday Morning.
“On Tuesday, the security personnel again stormed another female hostel where they arrested 20 more female students,” PRNigeria learnt.
“Those who were identified to have participated in the protest were forcefully evicted out of their hostels with their cloths thrown out of the hostels premisses, while their identification cards were seized by the angry security who acted on the directive of the Management,” a student told PRNigeria.
Responding, Prof A. M. Gimba, Dean Students Affairs, has earlier warned that the University Management would deal decisively with anybody who tries to breach the peace on campus.
Gimba who gave the warning in a statement released by the university on Tuesday, said that the University will not tolerate any unwanton behavior by students or intruders who are not students but whose intention is to destabilize the activities of the University.
▪︎ By PRNigeria with additional report by MetroWatch