The 14 students of the University of Lagos, UNILAG who were detained last week for protesting against the authorities have been freed. This comes aft
The 14 students of the University of Lagos, UNILAG who were detained last week for protesting against the authorities have been freed. This comes after they arrived at the mobile court in Oshodi this morning in a police convoy, chanting solidarity songs. The students were whisked away to the Kirikiri prison on Saturday on the order of a court, after they were accused of unlawful invasion of Television Continental (TVC) premises.
They’d earlier been picked up on the university campus during a protest of the suspension of a visually-impaired student while also demanding the reinstatement of all suspended student activists. Their detention sparked national outrage, with groups such as the National Association of Nigerian Students and Education Rights Campaign calling for their immediate release.
This prompted UNILAG authorities to release a statement denouncing the students, claiming most of them had been rusticated from the school while others were students of an obscure institution in nearby Ogun State. The counsel to the students, Inibihehe Effiong, hailed their release, saying it was pursuant to section 211 of the Nigerian constitution.
“The trumped up charges have been struck out and we salute the Lagos State Government for this,” he said.
One of the released students, Aina Tomi, said they would institute a legal suit against the Lagos state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni. UNILAG has had its fair share of protests in recent years as students go the extra mile to have their voices heard. In September 2015, the campus was besieged with protests after an electric cable electrocuted a 300Level student while the school was shut down last year following protests over rusticated students.
Premium Times
