The University of Ibadan branch of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) on Wednesday took the expression of their grievances one notch beyond the usual level by flogging students out of the venue of their orientation ceremony.
The university’s freshers orientation ceremony, which was scheduled to take place at Trenchard hall, was disrupted by members of NASU who insisted that the venue was unavailable because of their strike.
Students, already settled, were chased out of the venue and directed to the university’s international conference centre.
According to the students, just as they settled at the new venue, NASU members rushed to the venue with canes.
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Students fled for their lives as some of them were flogged by the protesters.
Security operatives of the university could not do anything to salvage the situation, as they are themselves part of the non-academic staff union.
“I was present at the venue because of my kid sister and I just managed to run out of that place with her and one of her friends had a broken arm and now she’s somewhere talking treatment,” a student wrote on the University of Ibadan Student Union Facebook page.
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“I challenge the SU for this wicked act from NASU”.
The vice-chancellor and other principal officers of the university attended the ceremony.
The matriculation ceremony scheduled for Thursday has been put on hold and an emergency senate meeting will hold in place of the ceremony.
The protesters have vowed to keep the school gate locked.
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The non-academic staff of the university had earlier embarked on a warning strike in February over unpaid allowances and non-remittance of deductions.
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