UNIOSUN, NANS demand justice over assault on students as Army orders probe

Students of Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Osogbo campus, on Tuesday staged a protest over an alleged harassment and assault of their colleagues by the Nigerian Army recruits, demanding justice for the victims.

The protest followed Monday night’s invasion of about 20 privately-owned students’ hostels in the Oke-Baale Area of Osogbo by the recruits, who reportedly assaulted students, damaged hostel facilities and dispossessed some of them of their valuables.

Speaking during the protest, Josiah Adeyemo, the Coordinator of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), South-West Zone D, described the alleged assault as “barbaric’.

Adeyemo called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Chief of Army Staff to intervene in the matter and ensure those responsible were brought to justice, warning that NANS would continue to press for accountability over the incident.

Also, Anuoluwapo Adeyemo, one of the affected students, alleged that the recruits banged and kicked hostel doors before ordering female students to strip naked.

“They started banging doors and kicking them. They were telling girls to strip naked. When they hit the door, it banged on my head. I was pleading with them, but they started beating me with a pipe. I had a seizure and couldn’t breathe well. They poured water on my body. I was asked to have a scan at the hospital,” the student said.

Reacting to the incident, the management of Osun State University condemned the alleged harassment of some of its students by a number of Nigerian Army recruits.

A statement by Ademola Adesoji, the University’s Public Relations Officer, said Professor Clement Adebooye, the Vice-Chancellor, paid an on-the-spot assessment visit to the affected privately owned hostels to ascertain the situation firsthand and interact with the affected students.

During the visit, the Vice-Chancellor inspected the reported damage to some hostel facilities, including broken windows and doors, and met with students who narrated their experiences.

According to the statement, Adebooye expressed the university’s sympathy with those affected and reassured them that the management would pursue every legitimate avenue to ensure that justice is served.

He assured the students that the university would continue to engage all relevant authorities to ensure that any personal belongings reportedly taken from them were recovered and returned to their rightful owners.

The vice chancellor also assured the students that the University would not relent until the matter is satisfactorily resolved as well as urged the affected students to remain calm, law-abiding.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army said it has ordered an investigation into the allegations and appealed to the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), South-West Zone D, to provide evidence and witness statements to aid the probe.

In a statement signed by Major Yahay Ibrahim, the Army Public Relations Officer, Depot Nigerian Army, Osogbo, the Army said it remained committed to protecting all citizens and would not tolerate any act of harassment, intimidation or assault by its personnel.

The statement added “the Depot Nigerian Army Osogbo remains committed to ensuring that its personnel are held to the highest standards at all times. The alleged actions of the personnel do not reflect the training and character development of recruits at the Depot. We therefore give our firm assurance that any personnel found guilty will face the full weight of military law. The Commandant is ready to meet with the NANS leadership at the earliest convenience to agree on the way forward.”