The intervention by the Commissioner of Police, Mr Idowu Owohunwa, has led to the suspension of the planned protest against the hike in UNILAG school fees by the National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Council (NANS JCC), Lagos State.
A statement on Tuesday by the Chairman of the association, Mr Alimi Idris and Secretary, Mr Abdulrazak Yusuf, urged the commissioner to ensure the students’ grievances were communicated to the appropriate authorities.
The student leaders commended the commissioner for his intervention and assured the police boss of their cooperation.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said that the commissioner met with the student leaders on Monday.
Hundeyin said the students planned a demonstration for Tuesday (today) but were invited by the commissioner for discussion to find a way around the protest.
He said that the commissioner assured the students that he would meet with the Vice Chancellor of the university to discuss their grievances.
Hundeyin said that the police commissioner also set up a Police-Student Relations Committee (PSRC) to address issues that might arise from the meeting in the future.
“One of the students (name withheld) in the delegation, who is an indigent student, was given a scholarship by the CP throughout his university education.
“Based on this and others, the student leaders agreed to suspend the protest.
“They promised to maintain peace within the campus,” he said.
It will be recalled that on July 20, 2023, the university authorities announced a hike in fees for undergraduate students.
The authorities raised the fees from N19,000 to N190,250 for students studying medicine, while for courses that require laboratory and studio, students are to pay N140,250.
