NAN-H-154
Protest
By Victor Adeoti
Osogbo, Feb. 22, 2017 (NAN) Students of Technical College, Osogbo, on Wednesday embarked on a protest over alleged extortion by members of the Peace Corps of Nigeria deployed in the school as security personnel.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protest, which almost degenerated into a crisis, started when a peace corps member detained a student identified as Bakare Hammed for coming late to the school.
The Peace Corps member was said to have dispossessed the student of N6,000.
It was learnt that after the money was collected from Hammed, he mobilised other students to confront the peace corps member, resulting in a clash between the students and the peace corps members.
Hammed, who spoke with newsmen, complained of incessant extortion of students by members of the peace corps in the process of punishing students for lateness.
” They are fond of extorting us for coming late to school; I have explained to them times without number that my house is far from the school and this is responsible for my lateness.
“ I reside at Container area around Oke-baale. When I came late again today, the peace corps official detained me and collected a sum of N6,000 from me; the money is meant for part payment of my NABTEB exams.
” I later mobilised my friends to get my money back from him and this resulted into a clash before members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria came to arrest us,” he said.
The Head of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria in Osun, Mr Mukaila Oyedokun, said members of the group came to the scene to douse the tension between members of the peace corps and students of the school.
Also reacting, the Commandant of the peace corps in the state, Mr Ayinde Kayode, debunked the allegation of extortion by his men, saying members of the group were not involved in the incident.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Folashade Odoro, said the police had been able to put the situation under control. (NAN)
VE/JIE/OJO
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(Edited by Julius Enehikhuere/Mufutau Ojo)