"We Paid for These Hostels": Kwara Poly Students Protest NYSC Takeover, Demand Hostels Back
- Kwara Poly students clashed with authorities over campus hostels, leaving the school in confusion and mounting tension
- The peaceful protest turned chaotic, with students struggling for access while security forces intervened unexpectedly
- Academic futures hang uncertain as displaced students voice frustration over sudden, disruptive government decisions
What began as a peaceful cry for help by students of Kwara State Polytechnic on Tuesday turned into a scene of fear, confusion, and distress after police operatives reportedly fired teargas to disperse protesters demanding access to their school hostels.
Source: Twitter
The students were protesting the state government's decision to accommodate National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members within the polytechnic hostels, a move they said has left many of them stranded, displaced, and uncertain about their academic future.
While monitoring the protest through a live TikTok broadcast, a Legit.ng correspondent observed several students openly expressing their anger at the state government, accusing it of treating them as less important and describing the decision as unjust and unfair.
The students displayed placards with messages demanding the reopening of the school and the immediate resumption of academic activities.
'We paid for hostels,' students cry out
Students who spoke emotionally to Legit.ng said the protest was their last resort after returning to campus only to discover that the hostels they had paid for were no longer accessible.
“We resumed school with hope, ready to continue our studies, but we met our rooms occupied by NYSC corps members,” a visibly shaken student told Legit.ng.
“We paid for these hostels. Some of us don’t even have alternative accommodation. Although the school gave us a notice to vacate and asked us to return back after three weeks, that was unfair. The majority of us living in the hostel have nowhere to live in Ilorin during this period.”
According to multiple eyewitnesses, the students gathered at the school gate, locked it briefly, and demanded that the government relocate the corps members and allow academic activities to continue normally.
Read also
Peller left speechless as US soldier discloses mouth-watering military benefits if she dies
“We were not violent. We were just shouting and pleading.”
"We said, ‘Please take NYSC away from our campus so we can learn in peace,’” another student said.
However, the situation reportedly changed when police operatives arrived.
“They didn’t talk to us for long. Suddenly, teargas was fired. People started running. Some students couldn’t breathe. Others fell down,” a female student recounted.
Several students said some of their colleagues sustained minor injuries, while many experienced chest pain, eye irritation, and panic after inhaling teargas.
“I couldn’t see properly. My chest was burning. We were running without knowing where to go,” a student said.
“Why would police treat students like criminals?”
Students decry police conduct, fear academic delay
The students described moments of terror as police allegedly aimed guns at them during the protest.
“We ran because policemen pointed guns at us. We were afraid for our lives,” one student said.
“Is this how a government listens to students?”
Another asked in frustration:
“Didn’t we have a right to protest again? Didn’t we have a voice again?”
Beyond the immediate clash, students expressed deep anxiety over their academic future. They said the government is considering declaring a three-week break for affected students, even though examinations are only days away.
“Some of us are supposed to start exams very soon. How do you send students away at a time like this?” a student asked tearfully.
"Our education is being disrupted because of poor planning.”
They argued that the government should have fixed insecurity at the original NYSC camps instead of relocating corps members into an active academic environment.
“There was no concrete plan. They moved the NYSC here because students were on holiday,” a student said.
“Now that we have resumed, they want to sacrifice our education.”
Students also appealed to the Kwara State Commissioner of Police to rein in his officers.
“Police brutality in Kwara is getting worse. We were peacefully protesting. This should not have happened,” a student leader told Legit.ng.
Read also
"How dare you stop me?" Phyna fights dirty with police officer over "illegal" road blockade
With hostels now occupied by NYSC corps members, many Kwara Poly students have reportedly been left with nowhere to stay, forcing them to sleep in classrooms.
A student shared a photo exclusively with Legit.ng, showing rows of students lying on classroom floors, highlighting the dire conditions and growing frustration on campus.
Source: Original
PDP reacts, condemns Police action
Reacting to the incident, the Kwara state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemned what it described as the use of force against unarmed, peacefully protesting students.
In a statement dated January 20, 2026, signed by its State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, the party said the crisis was a result of “poor planning, lack of foresight, and failure of leadership.”
The PDP described it as “irresponsible and insensitive” to convert a functioning academic institution into a makeshift NYSC camp, displacing students who had paid for accommodation and were preparing for examinations.
The party demanded an immediate investigation into the conduct of the police officers involved, a public apology to the students, and an urgent alternative accommodation for NYSC corps members that would not disrupt academic activities.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Kwara state government nor the police had issued an official response.
For many students, however, the pain remains fresh.
“We just want to go to school, read, and write our exams,” one student said quietly.
“Is that too much to ask?”
Students didn’t organise Ekpoma protest, SUG says
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Student Union Government (SUG) of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, denied that recent protests in Edo state were organised by its students or the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
SUG president Osadebamen Ehizogie Michael described linking the unrest to AAU students as “unfortunate and misleading,” saying the investigation showed external groups triggered the action, not the university community.
He urged the Edo State government and security agencies to release any arrested students quickly, insisting the student body had no role in planning or executing the demonstrations.
Source: Legit.ng
