Benue varsity shut down over student’s protest

The management of the Benue State University (BSU) has shut the institution following protests by students in solidarity with those driven out from examination halls over non-payment of school fees.

The Guardian gathered that the over 7,000 students in the state university could not register for the 2016/2017 academic session because of lack funds to pay their school fees. 

However, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Moses Kembe said in an interview with journalists yesterday, that though part of the decision to close down the school was because of the protest, some persons believed to be miscreants have infiltrated the University and the closure was to prevent breakdown of law and order.

He intimated that out of the arrested persons, one had been identified as a dismissed military officer who had disguised himself and stayed in the hostels with the students for about one month without notice. Kembe said the arrest took place while the university security was carrying out their routine check.

Kembe, however, said though more than seven thousand students could not register, the school management had decided to device alternative measures to ensure that they remained in school. “When school resumed for the session, more than seven thousand could not pay their fees and management sat and decided that they should fill an undertaking form to be allowed to register. However, more than five thousand of the students refused to sign the forms”, he said. 

One of the students, Comfort, accused the school of being insensitive, saying government has been unable to pay their parents leading to inability of the students to pay their school fees.