Students of the Osun State University, Osogbo, on Saturday protested the shooting of two of their colleagues by some policemen.
The protesting students lit bon fires on major streets and impeded human and vehicular traffic within Osogbo metropolis.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the shot students, Kazeem Adesola and Ibrahim Ajao, were playing football on a pitch at Oke-Baale area of the metropolis when the incident occurred.
NAN learnt that the policemen, who came in plain clothes, accused some students on the pitch of being involved in internet fraud.
A witness, who asked not to be named, accused the police of persistently extorting money from students.
The witness, a student of the institution, said the resistance by those on the pitch led to Saturday’s shooting.
“We were playing football when the policemen came. They always come like that to arrest students.
“They would say that we are involved in Yahoo-Yahoo (internet fraud) and they would seize our laptops and phones.
“They would collect money on the pretext of granting us bail. But we resisted them on this occasion and within a twinkle of an eye, the policemen started shooting.
“When the policemen started shooting, we ran away but the bullets hit two students who were immediately rushed to hospital.
“The bullet hit one in the stomach and the second one in his mouth,’’ he said.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Fimihan Adeoye, while visiting the victims at the Ladoke Akintola Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, confirmed the development.
He said the policemen involved had been arrested and detained, assuring the victims that they would face the full wrath of the law.
The commissioner also said he had ordered full scale investigation into the matter.
He, however, advised the students of the institution not to take the law into their hands, saying the essence of the investigation was to establish that such an act was committed and to determine those involved.
“The two students injured in the incident are being attended to now at the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, and that’s why I am here to ensure that the victims are well treated,’’ he said.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Labode Popoola, who was also at the hospital, said the students were exposed to danger because the institution is non-residential.
He said efforts were being made to build hostels and ensure that students live within the campus where they could be properly monitored and supervised.
(Photo credit: Don Muhyideen)
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