Poly students clarify protest, deny being sponsored

The Kwara State government has ordered the immediate closure of the State College of Education, Oro, over worsening security concerns in the area.
The directive was contained in an internal memo dated January 20, 2026, issued by the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science and Technology and sighted yesterday.
 
The correspondence, signed by the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Sa’adatu Modibbo-Kawu, directed the institution’s management to shut down academic activities with immediate effect, in line with the instruction of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
 
According to the document, the decision followed growing insecurity around the institution and was in line with the state government’s broader directive to close all schools within the affected local government area.
 
“The measure is taken in the best interest of the safety and security of staff, students and the surrounding community,” the memo read. It added that the closure would remain in force pending a comprehensive security review and further directives from the state government.
 
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) criticised the decision, accusing the AbdulRazaq-led administration of “surrendering to insecurity.”
In a statement signed by State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, the PDP described the closure as an admission of failure by the state government.
 
“The directive to shut down the College of Education, Oro, under the guise of insecurity shows that the government has no coherent strategy for tackling insecurity and has instead chosen to surrender to criminals,” the party said.
 
The PDP argued that the institution serves as an economic and educational backbone for Kwara South, and warned that its closure would deepen hardship in the region.
 
It also accused the governor of poor leadership and of being absent from the state, calling on traditional rulers and other stakeholders to speak out against what it described as a dangerous precedent.

BESIDES, students of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilọrin, have denied being sponsored by any group or individual to protest the continued use of their facilities for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation.
 
There is an ongoing insinuation that the students’ protest could not be unconnected to politics in the state.The students, yesterday, at a press gathering, expressed shock that their Tuesday’s response to police brutality could be “erroneously misconstrued” and treated as mere common politically supported.
 
They lamented that during the ongoing stay of the youth corps members in their institution, their studies were disrupted with their accommodation taken away and, “our safety threatened, and our voices ignored.”
 
President of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Maruf Ibrahim, said: “Let us be clear from the outset: this struggle is not political, sponsored, or manipulated by any external force. It is the genuine cry of students defending their welfare, dignity, and right to education.”