Students clash with vigilante members, Peace Corps volunteers in Osun

Students of the Government Technical College, Osogbo, Osun State, clashed with men of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) and volunteers of the Nigeria Peace Corps (NPC) over alleged extortion of students who come late to school. Some students alleged that the security men usually collect money from any student that come late to the […]

Students of the Government Technical College, Osogbo, Osun State, clashed with men of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) and volunteers of the Nigeria Peace Corps (NPC) over alleged extortion of students who come late to school.

Some students alleged that the security men usually collect money from any student that come late to the school.

They staged a protest to resist the extortion and the protest degenerated into a clash between the security men and the students.

The students’ protest led to pandemonium as they stormed the road and blocked the Olusegun Obasanjo highway which caused traffic gridlock in the area.

The situation compelled commuters and passers-by to divert their movement while the residents of the area became panicked and apprehensive. 

As the students of the Government Technical College advanced towards the Osogbo High School, the situation became worse as their counterparts in the high school trooped out to repel the protesters so as to prevent the destruction of properties in their own school.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Fimihan Adeoye, told Daily Trust that policemen were deployed to the area at the appropriate time and that the situation has been brought under control.

Operatives of the Department of the State Security Service (DSS) and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were sighted at the scene trying to maintain law and order.

In a chat with Daily Trust, the Commandant of Peace Corps in the state, Mr Ayinde Paul Kayode, explained that his men were not extorting the students. He said some students who targeted the VGN members mistook the Nigeria Peace Corps volunteers for the vigilantes.

According to Ayinde, "My men would never extort any student. They dare not do that. We never received such report of extortion against NPC volunteers. This incident is a situation of mistaken identity. The students actually targeted the VGN men and the protesters injured 3 vigilantes while none of the NPC volunteers sustained injury".