BSU students shut down school again over tuition fee increase

The students of Benue State University

The students on Monday, May 21, 2018, reportedly barricaded the main entrance of the institution and took over the Makurdi-Gboko road.

According to Vanguard, the students took over the entrance of the institution, chased away the security personnel manning the institution’s gates and also prevented any form of movement in and out of the institution.

One of the students who spoke to newsmen on condition of anonymity said that they were protesting to resist the new tuition regime recently introduced by the management of the institution.

“How can the management of the university carry on as if they are not aware of the economic situation in the state and country, with the new policy the least fee payable in the school is N92,000 as against the former N56,000. Their action is the height of insensitivity.” He said.

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School Management reacts

Reacting to the students' protest, the management of the institution in a statement by the Acting Registrar, Mrs. Catherine Bur said the protest was staged by miscreants and not students of the school.

The statement reads in part , “some group of miscreants parading themselves as students of the University, in the early hours of Monday, May 21 2018, took over, locked up and displaced the security manning the main gate of the University, bringing to a halt the flow of human and vehicular traffic into the University including Nursery and Primary School pupils for reasons yet to be ascertained.

“This action is particularly worrisome in view of the fact that the University is scheduled to commence accreditation of programmes by the National Universities Commission from Monday, May 21, 2018.

Earlier in February, the students shut down the university gate to protest against management's refusal to allow students who are yet to pay their fees to partake in the examination.

The students reportedly locked the two major gates leading to the school premises, chanting solidarity songs.

MAPOLY students protesting on the street of Abeokuta