Some protesting students of the University of Lagos and policemen clashed in Lagos on Friday.
The students were protesting the Democracy Day’s renaming of UNILAG as the Moshood Abiola University by President Goodluck Jonathan.
As the policemen fired teargas to disperse the crowd, the students threw bottles and stones at the security men and their vehicles.
A female student, Miss Funmi Ayodele, 22, of the English Department, fainted after a policeman sprayed teargas in her face.
She was immediately rushed to the university medical centre, where she was revived and is currently receiving medical treatment.
Our correspondent, who visited the lady at the clinic, observed that she was in a stable condition despite feeling weak. There was no record of death at the hospital.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Tunde Sobulo, said it was not the intention of the police to fire teargas at the students.
He said, “The Senate of UNILAG had ordered us in writing to stay at the university gate so that the protest would not go out of hand. They said we should not let the students protest at the university entrance.
“We’ve been here since Tuesday. But today, the students decided to take it to the extreme. They blocked the Herbert Macaulay Way. We had to go there to disperse them.
“These same students came back to the university and started throwing stones at some of our policemen, who were at the entrance of the university. We had to fire teargas to disperse them.”
He advised the students to remain calm and let those in authority handle the crisis surrounding the renaming of the institution.
One of the leaders of the protest, Chinedu Egwunye, said the policemen were the first to start the fight.
He said, “They started firing teargas at us. We did not do anything to them. Since morning, we have been protesting calmly at the entrance of the university.”
Another student, Gbemileke Ayodeji, said that the duration of the protest was infinite and that it was not going to end anytime soon.
News credit: Punch
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