The Students’ union government of the University of Portharcourt, in a statement released, has condemned the acts of men of the Nigerian Police force in the recent protest which took place in the school.
In the statement, the Union executives revealed that the school’s vice chancellor was responsible for calling in the Nigerian Police.
“The demonstration remained peaceful until the men of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) who were called in by the Vice Chancellor to maintain peace and order started shooting live bullets at the students which led to the death of one comrade Ofurum Peter, a 400 level student of Accounting department and a serving Executive President of the Faculty of Management Science student association (FAMASSA), amidst countless number of injured students,” the statement read.
“As if that was not enough, the men of the special anti-robbery squad (SARS) also shot a student while students were en route the media house in demonstration against the death of a fellow student earlier killed by the men of the Nigerian Police Force,” it further read.
They also revealed that after the shootings, the Vice Chancellor, with the help of the Nigerian Police force, ordered the students to leave the school premises within two hours.
The Union the made some resolutions which are outlined below:
As a result of the foregoing, the Students’ Union Government of the University of Port Harcourt hereby resolves as follows:
1. We condemn the death of Comr. Ofurum Peter with tears in our eyes and pains in our hearts, we mourn the irreplaceable loss. Comr. Ofurum Peter, who until his death in the hands of men of the murderous Nigeria Police Force was a 400 level student of the department of accounting and a serving executive president of the faculty of management science students association, university of Port Harcourt. We shall never allow your ultimate sacrifice to go in vain as we are committed to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book and the full weight of the law visited on them. Rest in peace comrade par excellence. We also sympathise with the parents, friends and family of our beloved departed comrade and pray that God gives them the fortitude to bear the loss
2. The action of the management of the University of Port Harcourt in not resolving effectively the events that led to the protest at the University of Port Harcourt is highly condemned. As parents that they are, we expected management not to throw away the baby and the bath water.
3. The actions of the Nigeria Police Force who were expected to protect the Nigerian Students, but rather turned against the same student and killed some of them are highly condemned. Hence we call on the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Inspector General of the Nigeria Police Force, and every well-meaning Nigerian to ensure that the perpetrators of this dastardly act must be fished out and the full wrath of the law visited on them.
4. We plead with aggrieved students of the University of Port Harcourt to keep calm as the Students’ Union Government in conjunction with well-meaning members of the public will do everything possible to resolve the brouhaha and defend the rights of the Nigerian Students. We will continually keep them posted of any development in this regards.
Signed:
Comr. Ephraim Inno-Anameje Led Students’ Union Government Excos
University of Port Harcourt