Socialist Students Detained by the Police are Released
Socialist Students Detained by the Police are Released
5 others are still illegally detained by the university at its Security Post
The student comrades of Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife branch who were moved to the Osun state police command this morning (July 14) have been released by the police. No doubt, it was the protest actions through phone calls, SMS and e-mail by comrades and activists locally and internationally that forced the police authorities to release them this evening. Two comrades of the DSM in Osogbo Osun state, Alfred Adegoke, who is a lawyer, and Waheed Lawal, Chairman of the Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights (CDWR) Osun State Chapter, secured their bail.
It should be recalled these student socialists were transferred to Osun State Police Command from Moore Ile-Ife Police Area Command where they had spent the night.
However, it has been revealed, while the comrades were being interrogated at the police command, that another reason why comrades were attacked and arrested was to prevent a protest march the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) had been slated for Ekiti State today, July 14, from being held. The ultimatum issued to the state government by the ERC to reverse the outrageous fees in the state owned higher institutions expired today. Hassan Taiwo Soweto (National Coordinator, ERC) had set to leave Ife along with some other comrades for Ekiti on Tuesday July 13 morning to begin mass mobilization of students in the state when the student hoodlums and university security operatives came to DSM secretariat in OAU and unleashed an attack on them.
Meanwhile, the socialist students taken to the security post of the university are still being detained at present. Indeed, the OAU management has employed barbarism in its handling of the case of this set of students. All of them were forcefully removed by the university security operatives from the hospital bed where they were receiving treatment from serious injury sustained from physical attack sponsored by the management. From the hospital they were taken straight to the police station in Ile Ife which declined to detain them apparently as a result of the international campaign. The university has since detained them at security post in an inhuman condition and denied them access to medical treatment.
This action of the university is not only uncouth and uncivilized it is also blatantly illegal. The university does not have power to operate detention camp let alone detain anybody beyond 24 hours.
The student activists being illegally detained are Dairo Olatunde (Barry Blacky), National PRO of ERC and a member of DSM, Shola Akinbinu, Secretary DSM OAU Branch, Ajibola Olaniyi, DSM member, Tobi Shofowora, member COPY and Oluwaseun Odukoya, a student activist. All of these detainees except Barry Blacky who has just graduated are writing the ongoing examinations in the university.
We demand their immediate release and unreserved apology from the university authorities to the victims of the violence they orchestrated.
We also demand adequate compensation from the management for the properties of the organisation and comrades destroyed by its storm troopers and an end to the barbaric acts of the university including attacks on the DSM and other left organizations. We reiterate the call on the trade unions and civil rights organizations nationally and education workers unions of the OAU in particular to demand an open democratic panel of enquiry to probe the roles of the Michael Faborode led management in the whole crisis.
Please send protest letters to the following:
Professor Michael Faborode
Vice Chancellor
University Register
You could also call or send text messages to the following:
Professor Michael Faborode
Vice Chancellor
+2348088176332, +2348033447446, +2340806009811
Please send copy of the protest letters to [email protected]