UNILAG School Fees: Police Attack Students For Protesting Hike In School Fee, Arrest 5 Students

There was a brouhaha at the entrance of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) as the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) clashed with students of the institution who let out their grievances over a sudden hike in their tuition fees.

BrandNewsDay Nigeria reports that the Police today, on Wednesday, assaulted some UNILAg students and their counterparts who held protests at the entrance of the university gate, in the Akoka Area of Lagos.

UNILAG Students who took to the streets to let out their resentments have been disunited by the police force, over the school management increase of their school fees, shortly after the announcement of Unity School’s school fees witnessed a hike of about 70 percent increment.

The school management on Tuesday announced that no students are allowed to protest against the school fee increment, after speculations that students might be gearing up for a protest, however, students turned deafening ears to the school management by embarking on the protest.

The act, resulted in Nigeria Police using force to disengage the growing numbers of protesters at the school gate, leading to the arrest of five students.

Among the five students are Right Activist Adeyeye Femi, a student of the institution who was rusticated 5 years ago for leading a protest against the school and was later reinstated after 5 years of confrontation with the management. Also, the NANS PRO Lagos State Chapter was arrested.

UNILAG Students Protest

Reacting to the incident, Alimi Lekan, the Chairman of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) Lagos State axis, has condemned the school management and the Nigeria Police for tempering with the students’ fundamental human rights for protesting over school fee increment without due consultation.

According to Alimi, the NANS gives the management of UNILAG 48hrs ultimatum to review and reverse the previous school fees, and if not, the association will embark on a nationwide protest to show solidarity in support of the UNILAG  students.

Also, the Lagos NANS Chairman demanded the immediate release of the five students arrested by the police with the order of the school management.

The management, however, called for calm as they summoned for a closed-door meeting with the NANS body to look for a way around the issues.

UNILAG School Fees

Meanwhile, UNILAG students’ school fees were 19500 increased to 124,000 (that is about a 500 percent increase) and 25,000 for medical students which increased to 190,000 (about a 1000 percent increment). Similarly, the school Identity Card has jumped from about N1000 to N5000 respectively.