Several Shot, Two Feared Dead As Police, Mob Clash At Niger Delta University, Bayelsa

…Govt Condemns Attack

…Says Opposition Political Leaders Behind Protest

…Directs Security Personnel To Apprehend, Prosecute Armed Hoodlums

 

By Amos Okioma

At least two protesters were on Tuesday shot dead while several others were injured  following a clash between Police and protesters at Niger Delta University, (NDU) Amasoma in Bayelsa .

NDU, which was shut in March following incessant protests over alleged hike in sundry fees payable by students was scheduled to be reopened today by the University management.

Meanwhile members of Amasoma community, aggrieved by job losses following ongoing reforms in Bayelsa public service had blocked all major roads leading to the NDU.for the past one week

It was gathered that the security agencies deployed to reopen the gates of the institution clashed with the angry crowd that insisted that the institution remains shut.

Residents near the university community said that the clash turned violent as the Policemen resorted to firing gunshots to disperse the protesters resulting to death of five while several others were injured.

The protesters comprising the host community, the staff of the Niger Delta University, including non-academic staff who were part of the 1,700 staff that lost their jobs in what Bayelsa government described as ‘retirement’

They maintained that the ongoing reforms .had led to massive job losses from members of the University host community who gave up their ancestral land to accommodate the university in exchange for job opportunities for the people.

“We feel that the school is part of our community and we gave up our lands to support the establishment of the school with the understanding that the school will provide some jobs to our people and now those jobs are gone.

“The reforms is targeted at members of the host community, the loss of 1,700 jobs is not a joke and we urge the government to respect the understanding we had with the university management in the early day,” one of the protesters said.

Two lifeless bodies dripping with blood were seen carried away for medical attention while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries were also taken to a nearby hospital.

Community source said that two Policemen and a civilian lost their lives in the shootout while the arms and ammunition of the policemen were carted away.

Mr Don Anwunah, said by telephone on Tuesday that the protesters attacked policemen deployed to reopen the gates of the university which was sealed by welding the metal gate.

He denied that there was any death recorded in the clash, saying that policemen deployed to the scene were rather attacked and injured by the protesters.

“There is no death as we speak, their modus is to put some old women who are naked in front while the youths behind them shoot at the police and they had torched a total of eight police vans unprovoked.

“The vice Chancellor wrote to us to forestall the vandalism and carting away of the university property by the community people even when the gates are locked and we sent our men there.

“Our men have been attacked and there is no death so far,we are battling to dominate the place with our men to restore normalcy” Anwunah said.

It was gathered that the military has been drafted to the area to reinforce Police presence.

Meanwhile, the state government has condemned the violence and attack on the state-owned Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island.

According to a statement on Tuesday, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Relations Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, blamed opposition political leaders for the mobilization of the hoodlums who barricaded the gate and disrupted academic activities in the institution last week to protest the retirement of some over-aged and redundant personnel.

Soriwei said that the unscrupulous politicians were taking advantage of the ignorance of young people and hoodlums to sustain a protest against the decision of the Governing Council and management of the NDU.

The Governor’s Aide accused the opposition politicians of mobilizing and arming the hoodlums to disrupt academic activities of the institution by forcibly disrupting the university activities for close to two weeks.

He said that it was rather unfortunate that unpatriotic elements would launch sustained attacks on the university even when negotiations on the retired over-aged and redundant personnel had been concluded and agreement reached with the host communities on the matter.

Soriwei said that the government had been patient on the activities of the hoodlums who blocked and mounted canopies on major roads in and outside Amassoma.

The Governor’s Aide noted further that the hoodlums attacked a detachment of policemen who were deployed to the NDU and injured some of them on Tuesday. The hoodlums also attacked and ransacked the Amassoma Police Station.

He said, “The Bayelsa State Government has condemned in strong terms the violence unleashed on the Niger Delta University and its environs by some hoodlums who are funded, mobilized and armed by unscrupulous opposition political leaders.

“These mischief makers have mobilized, funded and armed hoodlums to disrupt academic activities in the school, and forcibly closed it down even when negotiations on the recent retirement of overaged personnel of the institution have been concluded and agreements reached.

“These hoodlums have for the past one week stopped free movement of vehicles and persons on public roads. They disrupted conduct of businesses in and around Amassoma by putting canopies on major roads to pander to political interests who are desperate to tarnish the good image of the government.”

Soriwei called on parents to prevail on their wards against being used by politicians to tarnish the good image of the government to create a non-existent atmosphere of insecurity in the state.

He called on the people of Amassoma and other communities which are host to state-owned tertiary institutions to note that these institutions are the collective properties and investments of everyone in Bayelsa and are not owned by any particular host community.

He stressed that the government has a responsibility to protect lives and properties in an around the institutions and would not fail in that responsibility.

Soriwei who urged the people to refrain from violence stated further that the government had laid down a mechanism to address genuine complaints and advised aggrieved people to take advantage of that.

He called on the various communities to ensure the provision of the conducive security environment as part of their contributions to the massive government investments in their communities.

Soriwei stated also that the government has issued a directive to the security agencies to ensure that all armed hoodlums are apprehended and made to face the law.

According to him, the hoodlums disrupted construction work in the university as they prevented workers and contractors from working on ongoing multi-billion projects such as the Senate building and a network of roads within the campus.

He said that politicians had over the years exploited the NDU as a hotbed for crisis adding that government would not allow anybody to create an atmosphere of insecurity in the university.

He stated further that the government was determined to make the NDU a world class university especially with the massive investments being made in the institution.

He urged law abiding residents of Amassoma to go about their lawful duties and to cooperate with the security personnel who are in the community to protect them.

He said that there is no going back on the ongoing implementation of reforms in the public sector which designed to reduce waste, weed out overaged and fraudulent personnel and create vacancies for a younger generation of Bayelsans.

He added that the process of recruitment in the public service would soon commence.