Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State has directed the management of Kwara State Polytechnic to shut down the school for three weeks, following a student protest against the school being used as a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) temporary camp.

Recall that the state government relocated the NYSC camp from its permanent site in Yikpata, Patigi Local Government, to the State Polytechnic last year due to the escalating insecurity in the area.

Men of the State Police Command had a field day, firing tear gas canisters into the protesting students, resulting in the Chief Security Officer (CSO) being wounded in the process.

The Kwara State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), however, condemned the police response for the alleged “reported use of live ammunition and tear gas against peacefully protesting students of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, on Tuesday”.

However, a trending video of the students’ protest showed them blocking the school gate and chanting anti-government songs, demanding the relocation of the NYSC camp from their campus.

According to the viral video, the students blocked the school entrance to prevent new corps members from arriving at the camp for orientation.

One of the students lamented that they were being ejected from their hostels and campus to accommodate the corps members for orientation.

However, the video recorded men of the state police command shooting teargas cannisters to disperse the protesting students.

Consequently, the governor directed the closure of the Polytechnic “to ensure the safety of lives and properties of the entire Polytechnic community,” the school authority disclosed.

A statement from the institution’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Hajia Halimah Garba, and signed by the Acting Registrar, AbdulHafis Amin, confirmed the crisis.

It reminded all that: “the State Government had earlier designated Kwarapoly as the temporary orientation camp for the NYSC due to prevailing security challenges in the State.

“During the first camp exercise, students were on break, and during the second, students had not fully resumed. However, for the current exercise, students are fully in session,” it stated.

“To manage the situation and prevent any breach of law and order, the Management granted students a three-week break effective Monday, 19th January, 2026, to facilitate the successful conduct of the NYSC orientation camp,” it added.

The school regretted that: “Some students reacted negatively to this directive, on the grounds that they just resumed from Christmas/New Year break. This resulted in tension that necessitated police intervention.

“The police were initially tasked with dispersing the crowd at the Polytechnic’s main gate.

“Unfortunately, some officers went beyond their mandate by throwing tear gas canisters into the Polytechnic premises, including student hostels.

“This action adversely affected several students and staff, including Polytechnic’s Chief Security Officer, who sustained injury,” the statement partly read.

Meanwhile, the state PDP in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, said it is unacceptable that students who took to peaceful protest, an action guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, were met with force, intimidation, and violence by police officers.

“This Kwara Polytechnic development indicates a growing and dangerous pattern under the AbdulRahman-led government, where peaceful protesters are routinely intimidated, harassed, or violently dispersed.

“Kwarans will recall the shameful incident involving elderly women from Ifelodun Local Government who peacefully protested at Government House over the prolonged abduction of their relatives, only to be brutally attacked by government-sponsored thugs while police officers stood by and watched.

“That painful episode remains fresh in public memory and underscores a troubling disregard for citizens’ rights and human dignity. Under no circumstances should unarmed students protesting the disruption of their education be treated as criminals or enemies of the state.

“The PDP notes that the current crisis is a direct consequence of poor planning, lack of foresight, and failure of leadership on the part of the government. Rather than provide a properly prepared alternative arrangement for the relocated corps members, the government opted for the most reckless approach.

“Turning a functioning academic institution into a dumping ground for NYSC, displacing students who had already paid for accommodation and were in the middle of an academic calendar, with examinations imminent, is irresponsible and insensitive.

“Our party finds it unacceptable that instead of engaging the students constructively and resolving the matter through dialogue, the government resorted, once again, to coercion and brute force, shooting unharmed protesting students with live ammunition and teargas.

“The Kwara PDP, therefore, demands an immediate, transparent investigation into the conduct of the police officers and all actors involved in the suppression of the protest and calls for an unreserved public apology from the Kwara State government to the students of Kwara State Polytechnic.

“We also call on the state government to urgently provide a humane, well-planned alternative for accommodating NYSC corps members without disrupting academic activities in the institution.

“Finally, we warn Governor Abdulrahman-led administration against the dangerous practice of criminalising civil protests through the use of party thugs and security agents to harass, intimidate, or silence lawful and peaceful protesters.”

Meanwhile, the school management called on “all students, staff, and stakeholders to remain calm and cooperative as we continue to engage with the relevant authorities to resolve this matter amicably and swiftly.”