Tension flared and injuries ensued as security operatives linked to the Edo State Labour Party (LP) gubernatorial candidate, Olumide Akpata, reportedly clashed with members of the Student Union Government (SUG) of the University of Benin (UNIBEN).
Reports indicated that UNIBEN SUG members had disrupted a meeting between Akpata and senior lecturers of the university, on Friday.
Eyewitnesses recounted that the gathering, initially peaceful at the University’s Staff Club, turned violent when the student leaders stormed the venue.
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“The LP candidate (Akpata) was in a meeting with some lecturers at the Staff Club. Trouble began when Student Union leaders arrived and demanded an explanation for Akpata’s presence on campus without their prior knowledge,” disclosed one eyewitness.
As tensions escalated, there was verbal confrontation, leading to physical altercations. Allegedly, a senior lecturer restrained a Student Union Officer, resulting in a chaotic scene. Matters worsened when police officers accompanying Akpata reportedly resorted to gunfire.
Contrary accounts suggest that the event, organized by the National Association of Labour Party Students, was disrupted by SUG members. Despite pleas from senior lecturers to allow the proceedings to continue, the situation intensified. Reports claim a lecturer was pushed and is now in a coma, although no gunfire incidents were reported.
The clash underscores the complexities surrounding political engagements on university campuses and highlights the need for dialogue and conflict resolution mechanisms to prevent such incidents in the future.
