ERC Decries Growing Wave Of Crimes Among UI Students

Following the alleged theft of items, the Education Rights Campaign (ERC), University of Ibadan chapter, has lamented the growing wave of criminal activities among students on campus.

ERC’s branch secretary, Nnamdi Ochi, on Tuesday, noted that in recent weeks, reports of missing phones and laptops, break-ins into hostel rooms and reading rooms, and harassment have been rampant.
In a statement entitled “Halt Rising Crime On UI Campus,” Ochi called on the university management to improve security measures on the campus and bring the criminal elements to book.

“We call for the setup of democratic security committees, including student representatives. However, we believe that these increasing cases of crimes are not unconnected with the harsh economic reality arising from the anti-policies of the President Bola Tinubu government, something compounded by hardship imposed on students by an insensitive Prof-Adebowale-led university administration as well as the abject failure of the Covenant-led Students’ Union (SU) to rise to its historic duty of adequate defense and protection of students’ collective interest.

“In other words, while we do not in any way support criminality, the stark reality is that under the current economic hardship and declining campus welfare, the tendency is high that many students are already pushed to the brink of survival.

“Some skip meals or lectures, while others are forced into exploitative forms of survival! Undoubtedly, the recently imposed outrageous school fees, rising cost of food, housing, transportation, and basic study materials, along with erratic power supply and poor internet access, have created a suffocating environment for academic pursuit.

“It is within this context that we situate the recent surge in campus crime.’’