HAPPENING NOW: #OccupyUNILAG protesters, police clash amidst heavy rain
A coalition of University of Lagos (UNILAG) students, undergraduates from other varsities, education right bodies and concerned Nigerians is protesting in UNILAG as we speak.
The Save UNILAG Coalition (SUC) wants UNILAG management to reinstate 11 students suspended for criticising the school management over the poor state of facilities on campus.
SUC also wants student unionism restored.
Femi Adeyeye, one of the rusticated students has been told he had a letter from the school management. He revealed this himself promising to read the letter aloud, and in public.
There are fears he may have been expelled. Others hope he has been reinstated.
Protesters, on Monday, marched towards the school’s main entrance but were stopped by heavily armed police officers.
The police said demonstrators would not be allowed into the school premises. We gathered police deployed officers to UNILAG as early as 12:40am. Police blocked a major road in the area thereby causing traffic gridlock.
Motorcycle operators are reportedly taking advantage of the situation and are demanding neck-breaking fees from passengers.
“Police want to provoke us into violence so they could attack them,” a protester told Newsroom Nigeria.
“We have a right to peaceful protest and we will exercise that right. The job of the police is to protect us,” he said.
A female police officer at the scene said they were “ready to protect you but you cannot go beyond this point”.
UNILAG management had, on Friday, warned students not to protest because ” it could turn violent”.
SUC said UNILAG, not protesters, were the ones planning to plant violence among peaceful demonstrators.
