ABEOKUTA– Students under the aegis of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) JCC/Ogun Axis; National Association of Ogun State Students (NAOSS) and Progressive Students Movement (PSM) have staged a peaceful protest over the death of Idowu Pelumi, an ND 1 student of Gateway Polytechnic, Saapade.
Pelumi was allegedly ram over by a car suspected belonging to a staff of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). The incident occurred infront of the state secretariate of the corps in sagamu on Monday.
The students were armed with placards with various inscriptions such as: “Every live matters”, “We cannot be silenced on justice” and “Ogun Students Demands Arrest and Prosecution of NYSC State Coordinator, Diana Nasamu For Obstruction Of Justice”.
In its’ protest letter signed by the State Chairman of NANS, Adeyanju Francis, NAOSS National President, Kehinde Thomas and PSM President, Okerafor Bestman, the student bodies alleged that the NYSC staff, identified as Ojo Aina fled the scene with his car into the camp.
It further berated the conduct of the State Coordinator of NYSC, Olayinka Diana who ordered military personnel assigned to secure the NYSC Camp to physically assault students who had besieged the scene.
“We are here to register our displeasure over the demise of one of our students. We want to believe that justice will prevail.
“We have done our investigation and we have seen the truth, but it seems these people are trying to hide something from us. The state coordinator of NYSC is trying to hide something from us, she is hiding the driver of the suspected car that killed the student.
“Eyewitness claimed that the driver of the suspected vehicle that killed the student drove into the NYSC camp immediately but the state coordinator has continued to deny this obvious truth.
“We will not sit idly and allow the incident to be swept under the carpet. Lives of the Ogun State students matter. Death is naturally the end of us all, we all agree. But, this careless killing of Idowu Pelumi David, must not go without the perpetrator being brought to book.
“Students in the state strongly believe in the integrity and capability of the police in the state, to thoroughly investigate the incident and ensure justice is not only done, but seen to be served”, the protest letter reads.
Addressing the protesters, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Manger Fergus said the police had already commenced investigation into the death of the student.
He assured the students of justice and urged them to remain peaceful in expressing their grievances.
