Angry students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic (AkwaPoly) at Ikot Osurua in the Ikot Ekpene local government area of the state have defied the rector, Dr. Moses Umobong, to shelve protests over arrest, detention, brutality, and extortion by police operatives of the Ikot Ekpene Area Command.
According to a viral video by the victims, the police seized them in the night at Ikot Ekpene town, detained them for several hours, and later released them at midnight without security cover.
One of the victims recalled they indecently harassed, taunted and extorted N10,000 after searching their phones to know how much was in her account.
The protesters were armed with placards of varying inscriptions against insecurity of life and prosperity as well as a series of brutalities on students along the campus vicinity.
The students, led by the Student Union Government (SUG) president, Comrade Geoffrey George, gathered at the school gate at 8:15 a.m. before the procession around the school community.
Some of the placards read, “End Police Brutality Now”, “Protect, Save, Don’t Abuse”, “This Extortion Must Stop”, among others.
Speaking with journalists, the SUG president, Comrade George, recalled how students have suffered at the hands of police and hoodlums within the community.
He recalled that recently, “there was a trending video on social media where a student of the institution was beaten and dragged, rolling on the ground by policemen.
“Students face extortion by policemen in Ikot Ekpene. We are not safe, especially for students living in communities within the school environment.
“Hoodlums snatch phones from students and even kill them. We have buried more than five students in the last one year. They were killed by thieves who broke into their houses , collected their phones and killed them while police looked the other way.”
One of the student activists who spoke on condition of anonymity said the protest would be sustained to draw government attention to the plight of students in the institution.
“The Rector called SUG Executives this morning and warned that the protest should not continue but we say no because our students are in danger.
“Nobody will stop us. We must cry out for the world to know that the police are not helping us here. Our colleagues are dying while they are busy extorting money from poor students”, he stressed.
Responding, the Police Public Relations Officer for Akwa Ibom (PPRO), DSP Timfon John, confirmed the incident, disclosing that the CP Baba Azare, has invited the students to a meeting to resolve all the lingering issues in dispute.
“The Commissioner of Police Baba Azare, has invited the students to a meeting this morning. We are waiting for them to come,” he said.
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