Medical students protest after 7th robbery attack in 3 months

Reports say the robbers, armed with knives and machetes, carted away the students' valuables, including money, laptops, phones, IPods and IPads.

Some students were also injured.

According to sources, the attack was the seventh within three months, leading students to question the security the institution's security approach.

The morning after the attack, students cordoned off the campus gate in the Idi-Araba area and prevented vehicular movement after chasing out the security guards on duty.

The students made demanded changes which the President of the College of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science Students Association, Folashade Oluwagbemiga, said must be met before academic activities continue.

“The security officers that assaulted the student; Ebube, a 300L pharmacy student; must be brought to justice; the postponement of the on-going examination by one week; replacement of stolen property of the victims; extending the time of power supply (by generator) from 7pm-10am to 7pm-1am and maximum security on campus,” their demands read in part.

Oluwagbemiga also queried the "sorry" security set-up.

“We want to know what the management has been doing about the security challenge on the campus," he said.

"The management is responsible for this sorry state of security."

A student who spoke to Punch said one of the victims who went to report the robbery at the security post was detained and abused by the officers.

“A friend of mine ran to the security post at the gate to inform them that robbers had attacked them in the mosque; but they ordered him to kneel down," the source said.

"They beat him up before he was released. That was what escalated everything.

“Two weeks ago, student-doctors were preparing for their primary exams when they (the robbers) struck and robbed them of their laptops, phones and IPad.

"Some of them had their project work stored in the stolen gadgets.”

One of the victims, Ololade Bello, told Punch that the security of the school was “porous” despite several complaints lodged by students.

“This is the seventh attack this year alone. We have reported to the school authority, but nothing has come out of it," he said.

“The robbers that stormed the mosque were two. They operated within minutes and fled.

"They stole my Samsung Galaxy tab. Others lost IPhones, laptops and so on. They came with knives and machetes.

"They even passed through the police post to escape.

"I heard that a student got injured in the shoulder and another sustained injury in the leg.”

The Deputy Provost of the College, Yomi Okanlawon, said the management had reached an agreement with the students but warned that the issued "cannot be solved in one day."

“We have told the students that we will look into these issues.

"These are not issues that came up in one day. They are chronic problems that have been there for years.

"We have to solve it over a period of time."