30 injured in lautech violence

No fewer than 30 persons were injured in the violence that crippled the Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso campus on Wednesday morning.

Our correspondents learnt that some officials of the university, who are Oyo State indigenes, started an agitation late on Tuesday, calling for the sole ownership of the Ogbomoso campus by their state.

Investigation showed that the officials mobilised their kinsmen from Sabo area of Ogbomoso to lock out Osun State indigenes working in the university.

A student, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that the mobilised indigenes smoked Indian hemp and sang anti-Osun songs.

The student, who added that the mobilised indigenes also carried inciting placards, said, “More than 30 people were injured in the violence.”

Some lecturers, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, blamed both Osun and Oyo State governments for not displaying political will to tackle the ownership crisis in the school.

A lecture said, “Both governments are from the same Action Congress of Nigeria, so the problem should be easy to solve. Both governors have not done anything to liberate the students whose studies are in jeopardy.”

President of LAUTECH, Student’s Union, Mr Adeniyi Idowu, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Wednesday gave an insight into the problem.

He said, “I got a hint that some Oyo workers were up to mischief but I thought it was the normal agitation among indigenes of the two owner states – following the ownership crisis.

“Very early on Wednesday, I got to know that some members of staff had locked the gates to the university. When I got there, I told them to open the gates, insisting that LAUECTH is a university and not a community school.

“They beat me and other students, who went with me to the gates. We were more than 15. We had to flee in different directions. We later came back to the gates, where we arrested two security staff.

“The two workers led the attack on us. They were armed with charms and weapons. We handed them over to the police at Owode police station.

“It is ridiculous that we have spent more than seven months for our first semester, which should last three months, yet some people are causing confusion.”

The institution established in 1990 is co-owned and co-funded by Oyo and Osun states.

However, the Peoples Democratic Party administration of Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala attempted to solely own the university as it battled the Osun PDP-led government of former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola for the soul of the university.