UNILAG: ULSU, NANS protesters “snatch phones, drive aluta bus like mad folks”

After police locked University of Lagos (UNILAG) main gate against protesters, students who wanted to go home resorted to the extreme.

“I had to walk all the way to second gate to leave the school premises,” a student told NewsroomNG. “I saw some students chose to scale the school fence near the main gate.”

Home calls: Female UNILAG students scale the main gate. — *Home calls: UNILAG students scale the main gate during April’s protest.*

She said the protest almost turned violent because of the action of some of the students.

“I was terrified by the dangerous way protesters drove their aluta bus like they were crazy,” she said.

“Some guys were hanging on it and swinging their arms probably in a bid to hit people. They even threatened UNILAG students who were only trying to go home.

*Police officer stands guard, rifle in hand, as students protest.*

“I saw tricycle riders flee the main gate. Even adults ran into nearby technical college of education.

“Some people claimed their phones were snatched from their hands as the protest continued. Most of the students involved are friends of suspended union leaders. You need to see adults running away from the scene out of fear.

“At that point it seemed sanity was hanging by a thread,” she said.

*UNILAG students scale a fence near the main gate to exit campus.*

Suspended UNILAG student union (ULSU) leaders and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) are behind the protest, we gathered.

The leaders were rusticated over a protest in April. ULSU was also banned. Protesters want both decisions revered. They’re also calling for the resignation of Vice Chancellor Prof. Rahman Bello.

UNILAG security, with help from the police, shut out protesters. — *UNILAG security, with help from the police, shut protesters out.*

The school is yet to speak on the latest unrest which coincided with the visit of Indian Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari.

A source told us police have opened the school main entrance.

A former student leader who doesn’t want to be named has condemned the student over “the way they are going about this”.

*Blocked from entering UNILAG campus, protesters camp outside the main gate.*

“They are jobless,” another UNILAG graduate who lives on campus told NewsroomNG.

“They were given the chance to prove themselves worthy of having a union and they blew it big time. They protested over stupid things and went about it the wrong way. I guess they didn’t get good advice.

“The university can never allow unionism again because of this, and I won’t even blame UNILAG management for that,” she said.