Gov suspends Kwara Poly rector over protest, orders probe
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has suspended the Rector of Kwara State Polytechnic, Abdul Jimoh Mohammed, and ordered a full-scale investigation into the student protest that rocked the institution on Tuesday. AbdulRazaq further approved the constitution of a three-member committee to probe the remote and immediate causes of the protest and recommend lasting solutions to prevent a […]
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Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has suspended the Rector of Kwara State Polytechnic, Abdul Jimoh Mohammed, and ordered a full-scale investigation into the student protest that rocked the institution on Tuesday.
AbdulRazaq further approved the constitution of a three-member committee to probe the remote and immediate causes of the protest and recommend lasting solutions to prevent a recurrence.
The directive takes ‘immediate effect’.
A statement on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu, said the panel is to be headed by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Bar Senior Ibrahim Sulyman.
“The Governor has directed the Rector of the Polytechnic, Engr. Dr. Abdul Jimoh Mohammed, to immediately step aside from his role until further notice, while the most senior Deputy Rector acts in his place in the interim,” the statement noted.
The committee was given two weeks to conclude its assignment and submit a comprehensive report to the governor on the issue.
The committee is also expected to engage with all relevant stakeholders in the course of its assignment.
Daily Trust reports that tension engulfed the institution on Tuesday after police fired tear gas at protesting students opposed to the relocation of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp to the institution.
The government had shut the polytechnic following the incident.
Eyewitnesses said the protest, which began peacefully in the early hours of the day, escalated after security operatives were invited to disperse the crowd.
The polytechnic management, in a statement by the Acting Registrar, AbdulHafis Amin, said some of the officers “went beyond their mandate by firing tear gas canisters into the Polytechnic premises, including student hostels”.
He added that several students and staff were affected, while the Chief Security Officer of the institution sustained injuries.
“Following the development, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq ordered the immediate closure of the polytechnic to ensure the safety of lives and property”, he submitted.