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| Erelu Fayemi |
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on the Ekiti State government to urgently constitute a judicial panel of enquiry to investigate the killing of two students of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti.
The Students had on Tuesday staged a violent protest in Oye Ekiti over incessant power outage in the host community, leading to attack on Erelu Fayemi while on an empowerment and advocacy tour to engage with women in the local government.
They were said to have engaged the security operatives detailed with the First Lady in a clash with two persons reportedly killed and several others injured and over a dozen of vehicles vandalised by the rampaging students.
In a statement signed by NANS zone D coordinator, Comrade Adekitan Lukman and made available to journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, the association described the killings as unfortunate, adding that sanctions must be meted out to all those found culpable.
Comrade Lukman disclosed that the governorโs wife never ordered the security agents to shoot the protesting students, warned those who want to score political points with the incident to steer clear.
He advised the Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Adamu and the state Commissioner of Police, Amba Asuquo to begin urgent orientation of officers on the rules of engagement during protest so as to prevent future occurrence.
Lukman threatened to move the Secretariat of the studentsโ body to Ekiti state if government failed to respond to their demands within the next five working days.
The statement read,โ We condemn in the strongest possible term the gruesome killings of the two students who lost their lives in the safe and pray to God to give the family of the departed the fortitude to bear the loss.
โThe demand that Ekiti state government should take up all expenses of those injured and as well as compensate the family of the deceased.
โWe call on the state government to set up a judicial panel of enquiry to investigate the needless killings and barbaric show of force by the police and recommend appropriate sanctions as well as means of preventing future occurrence.
โWe hope to get quick and favourable response on these demands within the next 5 working days , we shall not hesitate to move down the Secretariat of the zone to Ekiti and roll out our arsenal of agitation if these demands are not met.โ
The students group added that government at all levels must put it across to the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) on the need to restore power to the university community to put an end to future agitations from students.
NANS urged management of FUOYE to rescind its decision on the proscription of the students union activities in the overall interest of peace.
โThe proscription of the students Union was done too hastily and was needless as well, we call on the FUOYE university management to immediately rescind this proscription order of the students Union as this will be first step in ensuring that peace returns to the university,โ it said.
