Ogun: Student Drowns While Running From Amotekun Corps During Protest

• An Ogun state secondary school student has reportedly drowned while attempting to flee from arrest by the local security, Amotekun corps
• The students were reportedly protesting against an alleged illegal fee being collected by the school, prompting management to call the security operatives
• They ran in separate ways, and some of them reportedly jumped into the nearby river to avoid being apprehended by the Amotekun corps, and one of them drowned

A tragic incident occurred in Ogun state as a student reportedly died and property was destroyed during a violent clash at Ilugun High School, Elega, Abeokuta, the state capital.

The incident was said to have started after students protested against an alleged illegal fee collected by teachers. The trouble reportedly began on Friday, September 28.

Daily Trust reported that the school management had invited the operatives of the Amotekun Corps in a move to disperse the students protesting against the fee they considered illegal.

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Witnesses' accounts of Ogun student's death

Witnesses accounted that the arrival of the Amotekun corps made the students run in different directions so that the local security operatives would not apprehend them.

During the process, some of the students were said to have jumped into the river near the school, in which one of them drowned and died.

A witness disclosed that three students were said to have jumped into the river. Two of them were rescued, and the one identified as Babalola drowned. Later, his remains were recovered and buried at the riverbank on Saturday, September 27.

Why Ogun students went on a rampage

Babalola's death led to anger among the students who returned to the school on Monday, September 28 and went on a rampage. They were alleged to have attacked the teachers and vandalised school property.

A trending video of the incident on social media showed the moment the students were destroying the school property in broad daylight. Some of the students were seen hurling stones at classroom windows.

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In other instances, some students went on to remove the entire aluminium window frames and left the classrooms badly damaged.

Controversy over the illegal fee

Recall that in September 2019, Governor Dapo Abiodun announced the suspension of N3,700 levies across public schools in the state with immediate effect.

Recently, the administration of Abiodun has been criticised over the fee. At an event, the governor clarified that his administration did not introduce the fee but inherited it from the previous administration.

The governor explained that the fee came into existence as a proposal from the Parents Teachers’ Association (PTA), and was later adopted by the immediate past administration, led by Ibikunle Amosun.

He noted that the suspension of the payment became necessary as part of his government's promise of free, universal and qualitative education in the state's primary and secondary schools.

Abiodun announces new Court of Appeal in Ogun

Legit.ng earlier reported that the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government approved the establishment of a new Court of Appeal in Ogun state.

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In a statement, Governor Dapo Abiodun disclosed where the appellate court would be built in the state.

The excited governor celebrated the move in a social media post, as several Nigerians also welcomed the development.

Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng