NANS Gives Ogun Government 72-Hour Ultimatum Over Abducted Students

The National Association of Nigerian Students has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Ogun State Government and security agencies to rescue five students abducted from Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade, warning that it will embark on statewide peaceful protests if urgent action is not taken.

The student body also demanded the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the killing of a student of D.S. Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic, Itori, while calling for decisive measures to address the growing wave of insecurity affecting tertiary institutions across the state. The demands were presented during a press briefing in Abeokuta by NANS Secretary-General, Oladimeji Uthman, alongside other student leaders.

According to NANS, students now live in constant fear due to recurring incidents of kidnapping, armed robbery, cult violence, rape and other crimes around campuses. The association lamented that previous efforts to engage security agencies on practical solutions yielded little result, accusing the agencies of ignoring invitations for dialogue.

While commending the deployment of an operational police aircraft by the Inspector-General of Police and Governor Dapo Abiodun to strengthen security operations, NANS insisted that more concrete measures were required. It urged authorities to establish permanent security posts around vulnerable student communities, increase patrols and strengthen collaboration between security agencies, institutions and student leaders.

The ultimatum follows recent attacks involving students in Ogun State, including the abduction of five Gateway ICT Polytechnic students and the fatal shooting of a female student of D.S. Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic during a robbery attack. NANS warned that failure to meet its demands within the stipulated period would trigger sustained peaceful demonstrations until adequate security is guaranteed for students across the state.