…Asks Students to Prepare to Return Home
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Southwest Zone D, has threatened to shut down academic activities across tertiary institutions in Osun State over rising political violence ahead of the state’s governorship election.
The student body said it had directed all its structures, Joint Campus Councils (JCCs), Students’ Union Governments (SUGs) and students across the state to prepare for a total and peaceful shutdown, while advising students to get ready to return to their homes until normalcy is restored.
In a statement jointly signed by the Coordinator of NANS Southwest Zone D, Comrade Adeyemo Josiah Kayode, Secretary-General, Comrade Ojetola Babatunde Yusuf and Public Relations Officer, Comrade Tope Olugbemi, the association said the worsening security situation had made campuses unsafe for learning.
The association expressed concern over what it described as increasing incidents of political violence, shootings, intimidation and politically motivated killings across Osun State, warning that students should not become casualties of political rivalry.
According to the statement, reports of gunshots in communities surrounding some tertiary institutions, particularly at night, had heightened fears among students living both on and off campus.
It lamented the absence of a comprehensive security arrangement specifically designed to protect campuses, student hostels, surrounding communities and major transportation routes during the election period.
“The prevailing atmosphere is no longer one that guarantees the safety of students or allows academic activities to continue without fear
“Nigerian students cannot be expected to continue attending lectures and moving around freely when violence is gradually becoming normalised and innocent residents are being caught in conflicts they neither created nor participated in.” It read.
While reaffirming students’ constitutional right to participate in the electoral process, NANS cautioned political parties against exploiting students for political purposes.
It warned that students must not be “deceptively transported, profiled, pressured or treated merely as electoral statistics” and advised them not to surrender sensitive personal information to unidentified individuals or board unbranded vehicles operated by persons whose identities could not be verified.
The association urged students to vote according to “conscience, competence, credibility and proven commitment to education and student welfare,” rather than intimidation, inducement or campaign promises.
Declaring its position, NANS said it would commence a total and peaceful shutdown of academic activities across tertiary institutions in the state, adding that the date and operational details would be announced through recognised NANS and Students’ Union channels.
It stressed that the planned action was neither politically motivated nor intended to support or oppose any political party or candidate.
“It is a necessary protective measure arising from our responsibility to defend the lives, welfare and constitutional rights of Nigerian students,” the association stated.
“We would rather temporarily suspend academic activities than issue condolence statements after preventable harm has been inflicted upon our members.”
NANS also warned political parties and their supporters to keep violence away from campuses, insisting that no institution should become a recruitment ground for political thuggery.
It vowed to expose any political organisation found exploiting, threatening or endangering students, while advising students to avoid violent gatherings, refuse to carry weapons and refrain from confronting political groups.
The association called on Governor Ademola Adeleke, security agencies, heads of tertiary institutions, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations and election stakeholders to urgently implement concrete measures to safeguard students. It maintained that until credible security guarantees were provided and government engaged the recognised student leadership, its position remained unchanged.
“Our campuses will not become killing fields. Our students will not be used as political tools. The safety of Nigerian students is not negotiable,” the statement added.
