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Socialist Democracy September - October 2003

 

UI:

BUILD MASS MOVEMENT TO DEFEAT CULT GROUPS

By Stephen Alayande, NANS Zone D Coordinator

Again, as experienced in year 2001, the University of Ibadan was placed under universities authorities' sponsored cultists on 9th and 10th September. This time around, the duo of Mr. Akin Kiyesi and Mr. Idebi Kayode (aka Militant Brother) were recruited by the chief security officer (CSO) of the university Mr. Bello, to maintain "peace" on campus by dispersing the students' union congress slated for Tuesday September 9th 2003 with guns, axes, matchets, charms etc and stopping a planned lecture boycott.

The lecture boycott were majorly meant to protest against the bad welfare conditions on campus such as non-issuance of ID cards, epileptic supply of electricity, colourful, tasteful and odourful water, general state of insecurity on campus as handsets, vehicles are snatched at will, bad roads, non-payment and selective payment of salaries of teaching and non-teaching staff which is about leading to another strike action, etc.

Hence, the vice-chancellor, Prof. Ayodele Falase, paid these cultists through the CSO to stop the congress by all means and put in place a Peace Caretaker Committee with representation of all cult groups to forcely replaced the Lawal Akeem (Aluta)-led students' union leadership by maiming or killing some particular student leaders such as Lawal Akeem (Aluta), Alayande Stephen, Ola Adeosun, Olawoyin Akintunde (Struggle) etc. This assignment was carried out by the cult groups on Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th September 2003 before, during and after the congress by shooting sporadically in Indy, Zik, Tedder, Awo, Idia halls of residence, the Students' Union Building and the central mosque. This is coupled with matcheting of students, hijacking of vehicles, and harassing of staff and students.

These cult elements burgled the students' union offices, and carted away valuables like huge sum of money, a computer set, megaphone, three GSM handsets. They equally burnt important and historical documents of the union and personal belonging of union officials. On 10th September, 2003 a major resolute resistance of UI students was built around the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) Jihad Against Cultism which led to the arrest of three of the cultists caught with their guns, matchet etc. They are presently in police custody having paraded them on NTA television at Ibadan.

Expectedly, the UI administration has not come out with any official statement on the issue neither there has been a report from the security unit because it will amount to shooting itself in the leg.

Demands

*Immediate removal of the vice chancellor, Prof. Ayodele Falase for hobnobbing and romancing with cultists on campus

*The federal government should set-up a panel of enquiry comprising the representatives of teaching and non- teaching staff, students' body, human rights groups, and other stakeholders to look into this crisis. For we shall not wait for repeat of July 10 1999 OAU saga before we cry out.

*Immediate actions and interventions on the aforementioned demands of the congress.

*A mass movement of students and workers to be built to flush out cult groups from the university.

*Immediate beefing-up of the security network on campus through self-defence and intelligence committees to be set up by students and staff in every hall and faculty

Write and send your protest letters to:

(i) The Vice-chancellor,

University of Ibadan,

Ibadan, Oyo State.

(ii) The Minister of Education,

Federal Ministry of Education,

Federal Capital Territory,

Abuja.

 

 

Socialist Democracy September - October 2003