Publisher of SaharaReporters and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Mr. Omoyele Sowore has condemned the brutalisation of students of the University of Benin by men of the Nigerian Army over a ‘disagreement.’
Taking to Twitter, Friday, to register his displeasure over the treatment melted out on the students by the soldiers, Sowore called on the Nigerian Army to fish out the culprits.
“I wholeheartedly condemn the unprovoked and dastardly attack on peace loving students of the University of Benin @UniversityBenin by Nigerian soldiers @HQNigerianArmy over a disagreement between students and soldiers at the ATM. The soldiers involved must be fished and prosecuted,” he wrote.
On Thursday, some students of UNIBEN and soldiers from the Supply & Transport (S&T) Barracks in Benin City clashed within the university premises, resulting from resistance of the students to the soldiers’ attempt to jump ATM queues on campus.
The soldiers were said to have descended heavily on a female student who they assumed was recording their ungodly act on tape, destroying her phone in the process. This, however, did not go down well with other civilians on queue who attempted to mediate or intervene.
Things, however, escalated quickly after the soldiers reportedly attempted to forcefully abduct the student to their barrack apparently to ‘deal with her’ but for the quick intervention of the school security department. The security officers, however, met a strong resistance from the soldiers who allegedly assaulted the officers including the Chief Security Officer.
CAMPUS GIST gathered that the soldiers who had earlier retreat back to base regrouped and invaded the university campus at night to beat up security officers on night duty, destroying several vehicles parked on campus.
Some unarmed civilians including residents-staff on campus who were attempting to use the ATMs on bank road in the school premises were caught up in the ‘reprisals’ as they were also not left out as the soldiers reportedly pounced on them, leaving them with various degree of injuries.
Some of the injured, it was gathered, were taken to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) for urgent medical attention. A medical personnel at the hospital told this online media that many of the injured were brought in early morning and they(medical personnel) had a busy time attending to the wounded.