YABATECH students shut down campus after cult attack

There was commotion on Thursday morning at
the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, as
academic programmes were grounded, while
movements were restricted.
The development was as a result of a protest
by the students of the institution, who were
expressing their displeasure at an attack on a
student by suspected cult members on
Wednesday night.
Some policemen, who attempted entering the
campus to quell the unrest, were turned back
at the gate by the students, who held
everyone within the campus hostage for
hours.
When our correspondent visited the campus,
he observed that two fully loaded staff buses
were prevented from entering the institution.
PUNCH Metro learnt that a clash between the
cultist and some students the previous night
had kept everybody awake.
A source in the Department of Mass
Communication explained that the clash
started after an unnamed student was
attacked by some cult members with
machetes and was wounded.
Our correspondent learnt that the student had
a misunderstanding with a suspected cult
member.
Another source who pleaded anonymity said,
“The student had ignored the cult member
when that one told him to do something for
him. He was later beaten, clubbed and cut
with matchetes.
“Somebody alerted the victim’s friends and
they also came out and faced the cult
members.”
It was said that in the Wednesday rampage,
security men on the campus were assaulted,
while some school facilities were damaged.
On Thursday, the students took over the gates
of the school and chased away security men
to protest the Wednesday night attack.
One of the students at the gate told PUNCH
Metro that the security men guarding the
campus had failed in their duties.
He said,”Two weeks ago, they (the cultists)
stormed the Art Block and wreaked havoc
while our security men were merely watching.
So the students decided to take over the
security of the school.”
It was observed that a few of the security men
had changed into mufti, while some of the
students who tried to record the riot with
their camera phones were assaulted.
The school’s major road was also barricaded.
The students said they were awaiting the
Rector to give an address on the way forward.
Later, the Dean of Students Affairs, Mr.
Omobayo Raheem, addressed the warring
youths, urging them to calm down.
He said, “Like many of you, I have not been
able to sleep as a result of this development. I
apologise to every one of us as a result of the
injury one of us sustained. There is no doubt
that injury to one is injury to all.
“I can assure you that the management has
set up a high-powered panel to look into this
and none of the culprits will go unpunished
be they students or lecturers.”
He said the wounded student was being
treated  at the school’s medical centre.
The Rector, Dr. Kudirat Ladipo, later came to
address the protesters. She capped her
address with a prayer for peace on the
campus.