By Adedotun Ajayi

For the second day running, students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), yesterday continued their protest over harassment, extortion and molestation by miscreants known as South Gate Boys.

The non violent protest which caught workers in Akure unaware, according to a source, started 6am with the students blocking the Akure/Ilesa highway and entrance to their school in South Gate, burning tyres and even cooking their food on the main road, thereby making workers to be late to their offices and travelers stranded for several hours.

For hours, the ever busy Akure/Ilesa road was shut down as travelers were stranded and vehicles stood still. Most motorists were caught napping and some were asking questions which the protesting students were not ready to answer. This prompted the intervention of the Ondo State Police who got information of the protest earlier  as they persuaded the students not to allow hoodlums hijack the protest. Security men were at strategic places along Akure/Ilesa road and also along FUTA South Gate of the school.

Investigation conducted by The Hope revealed that the students trooped out of their campus to protest against the alleged harassment and extortion by some people suspected to be thugs and cultists who were found of molesting students of the university.

They alleged that the miscreants were in the habit of harassing students living off campus at the South Gate and occasionally chase them into the school premises, after collecting their money, phones and accessories forcefully from them.

The Students Union President, FUTA, Ibiyemi Abiodun, aka General Whales, said the protest was to express their resentment over the persistent violence on innocent students, saying the students have been going through some pains over the attacks by the suspected thugs and cultists. He said, “this group of boys have been terrorizing students for long, now is the time to speak up as a community, these boys are not more than 10 in number, trying to oppress over 18,700 students, they won’t succeed. We have the support of the management, the Dean of Student Affairs Division, Prof. Gbenga Onibi was at the venue with us and he is with us as we speak. The protest is still ongoing, we won’t like to disturb our school calendar as well. We want to resume school activities, these people disturbing us are outside our school. We need the government to intervene and get rid of them.”

Olaitan Lateefat, a student said, “personally I’ve been a victim of this oppression, because I stay at South Gate. When I go for night classes, the fear of “South Gate boys” won’t let me go back to my hostel. I would rather pass the night in my classroom than to face the terror of South Gate boys. They have collected my phone before, in fact, my hostel was raided by thieves just three weeks ago, and I suspect them because I always see them around my hostel. We want security operatives to intervene. These boys need to be stopped, at all cost”

Another student, who identified himself as Andy, said the alleged harassment had been on for a long time, said the protest was to express their grievances over the pains students go through at the hands of thugs and cultists.

“These boys are the reasons why I changed my mind getting an apartment around South Gate, because of the fear and stories I have heard about the things students around South Gate are facing. In fact, if you are well-dressed, they will stop you and collect your money. Sometimes they force students to make bank transfers.

I was forced to live in town, which is not comfortable for me but safety first. Good thing is that the culprits have been identified. We have informed the security agents and the school management several times but nothing was done, reason why we are protesting, so that we can be heard”.

In a reaction to the development, the Head of Media and Protocols Unit of the university, Mr Adebanjo Adegbenro, said the students embarked on sensitisation march against actions of some persons living close to the South Gate who have been bullying some of the young students.

He said, “sometimes, they also robbed them. It is a sensitisation march. We have done all we could to ensure the security of the students. We are also in constant engagement with the community to ensure those things do not fester. Our duty is to make report. It is the police that will make arrest and prosecute.”