Published 17th May, 2022

By Lolade Olu-Ojegbeje

A student of the Federal University of Technology (FUTA), Akure, Ondo State, who identified himself as Saamu Eleja, has narrated how officers of the Nigerian Army attacked him and other students during a protest over the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.

Eleja told FIJ that the officers arrived very early at Roadblock, the venue of the protest in Akure, on Tuesday and shot sporadically to disrupt the gathering.

“We started a peaceful protest yesterday and made sure to inform the appropriate quarters,” Eleja told FIJ.

“The one we had yesterday was peaceful and nothing was damaged. But today, these officers came to disrupt the protest and shot sporadically. Every one present had to run for cover. There are bullet cases scattered on the ground.”

In a video seen by FIJ, students are running away to ensure their safety as some of the officers disembark from their van.

FIJ had earlier reported how students protesting the strike in Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State, were assaulted by a military escort on May 11.

Since the union embarked on the industrial action on February 14, students of tertiary institutions have embarked on a series of protests to express their displeasure with the federal government and the union’s refusal to find a common ground and a lasting solution to the various challenges facing Nigerian universities.

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