Police Arrest 47 Students In Ondo Protesting Over Bursary

Ondo State students from the oil producing communities on
Thursday protested in Akure over the non-payment of their bursary allowances. The students allegedly beat up government officials and
injured three policemen.

The students had taken their protest to the Ondo State Oil
Producing Communities Development Commission at Oba-Ile, Akure, to vent their
anger over delays by the commission to pay the allowances.

The prompt intervention of policemen from the state Police
Command saved the commission’s building and workers from the rampaging
students.

It was gathered that before the arrival of the security
operatives, the students had locked the entrance to the commission and booed
its chairman, Johnson Ogunyemi.

The students claimed they were being owed 2013/2014 bursary
allowances, saying it was the second time they were visiting the commission to
demand the payment of the allowances.

Police Public Relations Officer in the state police command,
Wole Ogodo, confirmed the incident, saying 47 students were arrested for what
he termed a “breakdown of law and order.”

Ogodo said the students stormed the commission “in a fully
loaded taxi and four 18-seat buses with all sorts of dangerous weapons like
cable wires, sticks, iron rods, matches, machetes, containers containing
substances suspected to be petrol and threatening to burn down the offices.

The PPRO added, “They also went as far as holding hostage
the Permanent Secretary, a director, a student on IT was also rough handled and
other staff were beaten mercilessly.

“All effort to persuade the students proved abortive and the
police had to call for reinforcement as the situation was getting out of hand;
to the extent of planning to abduct the permanent secretary and director.

“The police however prevailed on them; 47 suspects were
arrested and three policemen were injured.”

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