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Students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, on Saturday, blocked major entry and exit roads to the the institution, in protest against the closure of the school by the management.
The management of the university had on Friday announced an indefinite closure of the institution, after the protecting students barricaded Ife/Ibadan and Ife/Ede expressways, claiming that the negligence of the personnel at the institution’s health centre led to the death of one Aishat Adesina, a 400-level student in the Department of Foreign Languages.
The management also gave the students until 12pm on Saturday to vacate their halls of residence and put on hold the swearing-in of the newly elected students’ union officials.
While majority of the students vacated their halls of residence as ordered by the management, some later regrouped on campus and barricaded strategic exit and entry roads to the institution, The Punch reports.
The Vice President-elect of Students% Union, Salvation Aworanti, confirmed that the students barricaded major roads on campus in continuation of their protest.
She said: “Students are refusing to leave. They are saying the management should reopen the school with immediate effect.
“Some students have left their halls of residence, some have refused to leave, while some are on campus. They barricaded major roads. They barricaded Road One.”
But the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olanrewaju, while reacting to the development, said many students had left their halls of residence in obedience to the management’s directive, adding that no road was barricaded on the campus of the university.
“I just left the campus. As of the time I left the campus, there was no blockage and many students have left the halls of residence as directed by the management. They complied with the management’s directive. If any road was blocked, probably not up to 20 students did that. I am presently on Road One and vehicles are going in and coming out of the campus, no blockage,” he said.