Ebonyi Students Protest Lack Of Electricity, Water

The Health Sciences campus of the Ebonyi State University, has been shut down indefinitely, due to protests by students over lack of electricity and water supply on campus.

The students, numbering over 2,000, on Friday, blocked the entrance of the campus, causing disruption of vehicular movements along the Abakaliki-Enugu Federal Highway; where it is situated.

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Francis Idike announced the closure of the campus and ordered the students to vacate the campus immediately in their own interest.

Idike said that the measure was to enable the school’s management to analyse the situation to proffer solutions to the problem and prevent future occurrence.

He condemned the act, noting that the school authorities had always provided them with basic amenities to enhance their learning.

“The temporary stoppage of water and electricity supply is not enough reason for them to take laws into their hands and disrupt activities within and outside the school.

The students carried placards with inscriptions which read: “Vice Chancellor, you are not taking care of us”, “How can we read without electricity and water?”, “Our huge school fees are wasted”, among others.

The development, however, took a dramatic turn when the police stormed the scene and tried in vain to disperse the students.

The students resisted the efforts of the police to disperse them, which made the security officers shoot sporadically into the air and used tear gas cannisters to disperse the students.

The situation made the students and those around the area to scamper for safety.

However, they later regrouped and attacked the police with stones and other objects.

The police was able to bring the situation under control with further reinforcements, coupled with appeals from officials of the institution to the students to allow peace to reign.

No life was lost in the crisis but some students and passersby sustained injuries.

Efforts to speak with the Police on the issue proved abortive, as its Public Relations Officer, Mr John Eluu, declined comments.