How SUG’s election turned violent in Bauchi College

The management of College of Education Kangere in Bauchi state has ordered the closure of the institution indefinitely following a crsis that erupted as a result of  Students’ Union Government (SUG) election in the college. The state Commissioner of Information, Abdullahi Mohammed Idrees said the closure of the school was necessary to enable government investigate […]

The management of College of Education Kangere in Bauchi state has ordered the closure of the institution indefinitely following a crsis that erupted as a result of  Students’ Union Government (SUG) election in the college.

The state Commissioner of Information, Abdullahi Mohammed Idrees said the closure of the school was necessary to enable government investigate causes of the crisis. He said the college authority had already cancelled the elections.

“Some military men at a nearby road block were invited to restore law and order during the crisis but unfortunately the students started attacking the military with stones,” he said.

Idrees however denied report of death, but said some students had sustained injuries and were receiving treatment at a hospital.

The commissioner assured that government would investigate the root cause of the incidence, punish the culprits and reopen the college.

A source at the school, who do not want to be named, told Kano Chronicle that few days to the election, while campaigning in Kangere town, the students had an altercation and on getting wind of the crisis, Chief of Kangere was said to have alerted the school’s authorities and the police suggesting that the election be put on hold.

The College Provost, Dr. Garba Ibrahim, who was said to have travelled at the time, advised the committee set up to supervise the election to suspend it until tension reduces and differences were resolved.

However, the source said the Head of Students Affairs Department of the college, Dallami Michael Zumunta, allegedly ignored the Provost’s advice and went ahead with the preparations for the election.

“On the day of the election, he went ahead to distribute election materials without informing security agencies. It was later when things started going out of hand that he went and invited the soldiers manning a checkpoint located close to the school,” the source said.

According to the source, by the time soldiers entered the school and confiscated the election materials, some students had casted their votes.

“This is what propted the students to start shouting ‘bring back our election materials’ and at the time hauling objects towards the soldiers injuring some of them in the process. The army started shooting in in the air in order disperse the rioting students,” the source added.

However, on their part, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS)‎ demanded thorough investigation of the alleged shooting of innocent students by Nigeria Army.

NANS Vice President, National Affairs, Comrade Shetima Umar, who made the call during  a press conference, said that there was the need to set up a committee to investigate the remote cause of the violence and alleged shooting of students  by  the soldiers because they had evidence to prove that the students were shot by the army.

According to the students’ leader, one of the students who was shot, was left with a damaged eye.

Reacting to the incidence in a statement, Assistant Director Army Public Relations, 33 Artillery Brigade Bauchi, Major Joseph Adekunle Afolasade denied brutalising any student during their intervention.

The statement noted that soldiers acted professionally and conducted themselves responsibly in the discharge of their duties.

The statement said the attention of the soldiers   was drawn to a public disturbance and protest which turned violent by some students of the college which led to blockage of the busy Bauchi-Gombe federal highway. The protesting students and some hoodlums that joined them from a neighbouring community in their hundreds continued with their violent protest and later blocked the Gombe-Bauchi road.

“The Platoon Commander in charge of the troops quickly informed the police of what was happening. But before the arrival of the police, the angry students started setting borne  tyres on the road and attacking their colleagues with dangerous weapons.

“The soldiers had to peacefully disperse the hoodlums without firing a shot contrary to reports by the Social Media platform. The soldiers went out of their way to quench the borne fire and subsequently opened the blocked road for free movement of both human and vehicular traffic,” the statement added.

The statement however noted that the alleged injured students were wounded by some of their unruly colleagues in the school.

Bauchi State police command in a statement also by its spokesperson, SP Haruna Mohammed said normalcy had beenrestored in the school and the road re-opened to enable free flow of traffic.

Meanwhile, a statement from the office of the State Deputy Governor who is also the Commissioner of Education, Engineer Nuhu Gidado stated that a 10-man committee was set up to investigate the root cause of the crisis.

The statement which was signed by the Information Officer, Bauchi State Ministry of Education, Dauda Sani‎, said the committee was given one week to complete its assignment.