Reports reaching the desk of Africa Today News, New York has it that the management of Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture in Umudike, Abia State, has halted academic activities and beefed up security to forestall further protests in the institution after students demonstrated against a hike in school fees.
Scores of students of the citadel of higher learning were last night discussing and leaving the campus in groups amid tight security, while the presence of security personnel who were on the ground to forestall further protests was also seen.
One of the final-year students who identified himself as Kelechi Ofoedu told reporters that the development disrupted the first-semester examination, which started on Monday, appealing to the Federal Government to come to their rescue.
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But hours after the protest which led to the destruction of the administrative block among others, the vice-chancellor signed a circular on behalf of the Senate, ordering the institution to close indefinitely.
The management cited safety concerns after clashes between students and security forces left property damaged and students injured.
The university administration released a statement claiming “miscreants took over the University, damaging property and vehicles”.
Efforts to reach Vice Chancellor Professor M. O. Iwe for comment regarding the alleged use of force and students’ claims proved unsuccessful as he promised to brief the press on Wednesday.
A computer science student identified simply as Victoria told our correspondent on the telephone that the school had insisted that students would not be allowed to write the first semester examinations should they not pay up the recently increased tuition fees.
She said, “They didn’t allow us to write our final year exams as well except we paid up the school fees.”
Meanwhile, the Student Union Government General Secretary, Enyioma Godslove, has in a statement sent to our correspondent appealed to the protesting students to shun violence, saying, “Continuous destruction of things and also hurting of our fellow students wouldn’t solve the problem.”
“I have taken it upon myself to plead on behalf of the Students Union Government for peace to prevail as we await the best thing to be done.”
A viral video seen by our correspondent on Tuesday evening shows some policemen parading the school premises with vans and shooting into the air at the main gate to disperse the protesting students causing chaos.