Benue State University shuts down over students unrest

The management of the Benue State University (BSU) has directed the immediate closure of the institution following a massive protest by students of the institution.

The university directed to vacate the campus latest by 6:00pm even as the management regretted any inconveniences the development had caused to law abiding students.

The protesters on Friday morning disrupted academic activities, blocked the school gate and disrupted vehicular traffic. Some of them also pelted journalists with sachet water.

They said the management of the institution had insisted that they pay their fees before writing exams when their parents who are civil servants are being owed salaries for several months.

But, Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Moses Kembe, said the students were not prevented from writing their exams as they claimed, explaining that an agreement was reached for them to register free of charge by presenting a post-paid cheque to the institution pending when their parents collect their unpaid salaries.

Daily Trust quoted him as saying: “As we speak, over 5,000 out of the 25,000 writing their second semester examinations have not signed the document. How do we know who are students? They told us they didn’t have money and we paved way for them to register manually without fees.

“They have been writing exams since Monday so we wonder the confusion arising today (Friday). So the issue here is not because of money and due to the chaos, we have suspended the exams and closed the school to protect lives and property”

Kembe also said some miscreants had infiltrated the institution’s hostel following the arrest of a dismissed soldier on Thursday who was discovered to have been staying on the school property for the past one month as he added that the infiltration was responsible for disaffection among students.