NANS demands apology from Ogun deputy governor over alleged falsehood

The Ogun State chapter of the Joint Campus Committee (JCC) of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has refuted the allegation that the convoy of the state’s deputy governor, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele was attacked during a peaceful protest by students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) in Abeokuta, the state capital on Wednesday.

The Ogun NANS-JCC appealed to the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to institute an independent probe into the allegation of the attack on his deputy, Salako-Oyedele to be able to unravel the truth.

Addressing a press conference at the front gate of the MAPOLY campus in Abeokuta, the state capital, NANS-JCC Chairman, Francis Adeyanju said the protest embarked on by the MAPOLY students was fully supervised by security operatives which included the police and personnel of the Department of State Security Service (DSS) principally to prevent the protest from being hijacked by hoodlums.

Consequently, Adeyanju and other NANS-JCC leadership demanded that Engr. Salako-Oyedele must apologise to the entire Nigerian students’ populace for labeling MAPOLY students hooligans, stressing that the gap of violence forced on them by the office of deputy governor is an attempt at “calling dog a bad name in order to hang it”.

“We are serious and resolute in ensuring that justice is done in this matter and the truth is unveiled to the general public. Students in Ogun are neither hooligans nor touts who will unleash violence against anyone, let alone a constituted authority such as the deputy governor.

“Contrary to the claims by the office of the deputy governor that the peaceful protesters broke into her convoy and attacked her with cudgels and other dangerous weapons, it was indeed the security operatives attached to the convoy who opened fire on the students.

“This press conference is to set the record straight and let the good people of Ogun State know that the protesting students did not, at any time, obstruct the convoy of Engr Noimot Salako-Oyedele, during the Wednesday protest in Abeokuta. Rather, it was her merciless and inhumane security details attached to her convoy who opened fire on the defenceless students.

“We have video evidence and tell-tale signs to back our assertions. Onlookers who witnessed the event at Oke Ilewo yesterday can also testify to this.

“Instead of the innocent students who were shot at with live ammunition to be screaming blue murder, those responsible for the inglorious act changed the story from being the hunters to the hunted.

“It is indeed a pity that the deputy governor who is supposed to be a mother and show empathy to the oppressed students, decided to aggravate their precarious situation.

“As representatives of students, we will continue to be orderly in our conduct and present our matter in the best civil manner. To this, NANS is equivocal in its rejection of the label of violence as slammed on us by the deputy governor.

“We hereby demand apology from the deputy governor as well as retraction of falsehood news against the NANS, by her office within 24 hours.

“Failure to comply with our demands, the NANS in Ogun State will mobilize en-mass, students across the six zones of the apex student body and march in protest against the injustice, unwarranted and unprovoked attacks on students on peaceful protest, by the convoy of the deputy governor.”