Ebonyi State University Students Protest More than 100 per cent Increment in School Fees

At least 2,000 students of the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, on Tuesday, protested against the increase in their tuitions by the management. The students, mainly second year students, protested paying N88,000 as tuition for indigenes and N128,000 for non-indigenes at the point of their entry in 2012.

The students want the management of the institution to reverse the fees to the N40,000 and N60,000 respectively.

The protesting students came from the three campuses of the institution, converging on the Ishieke campus around 11a.m. They marched through the busy Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway before heading to the Government House.

This caused traffic gridlock on the expressway, as the students marched peacefully, accompanied by patrol vehicles, to ensure order. The situation, however, changed when they approached the Udensi Roundabout, a few metres to the Government House, as a team of policemen, numbering about 100, threw teargas canisters at them.

The move, which was to prevent them from reaching the Government House gate, caused stampede and resulted in several students sustaining varying degrees of injury. The policemen barricaded all routes leading to the Government House, resulting in traffic gridlock on major roads in Abakaliki. Meanwhile, Mr Hillary Eze, Dean of Students Affairs in the university, said that there was no increase in tuitions, adding that the management would thoroughly investigate the matter.