Violence has broken out within a meeting comprising members and stakeholders of various Ogun based student association, such as the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Ogun JCC and the National Association of Ogun State Students (NAOSS).
The meeting which held in Abeokuta on Sunday left some of the attendees, former chairmen of the aforementioned associations injured and their properties either stolen or destroyed.
Former chairman, NANS Ogun state, Olasunkanmi Olanbiwoninu popularly known as stainless in an interview with OgunWatch, maintained that the motive behind the meeting was to address the issues of elections pertaining to the association.
He noted that because the current executives of the NANS and NAOS are loyal to the Special Assistant to the Ogun state Governor on Students matters, Adeyemi Azeez, their term of offices as the association’s head was elongated to four years and five years respectively, which ought to be a stipulated one year term.
As soon as disagreement came up between attendants of the meeting, who Ogunwatch learnt are stakeholders of the association, Olasunkami alleged that the SA to the Governor on Students matters, Adeyemi Azeez invaded the venue of the meeting with thugs armed with weapons to disrupt the meeting, thereby leaving seven injured among the fifteen of the attendees.
“Our regimes have been extended to four or five years in office and it’s not good, it’s killing student movements in the state.
“ Eligible students are not allowed to complain as anyone who raises an eyebrow will surely be dealt with.”
“ Seven people were injured among fifteen people that came for the meeting and they came with over thirty people to harass us.”
Olasunkami also noted that Adeyemi after dealing physical violence on the attendees, claimed nothing can be done to him, adding he has made all necessary reports.
“He claimed he’ll go scot-free that even no Nigerian police can arrest him. We’ve been to the police station, we’ve got doctors reports and we’ve done all necessary things. So we await the good people of Ogun State to come out and sympathise with us because an injury to one is an injury to all.
He stressed that all they were mindful of was that Students rights must not be jeopardized but rather they were attacked.
“Our aim was for the right of students not taking for granted, he came there with guns and machete. There are video evidence of him leading people to wound us.
Some of the victims are, Comr Tommytee Gbangbose, Former NANS Chairman, Ogun State; Comr Falola Hamid Former NANS Chairman Ogun State; Comr Ola Ijaduoye Former NAPS President/ VP NANS Ogun State; Comr bolaji, Former NAOS Chairman, Ogun State; Comr Otunba, Former SUG President AAP, amongst many other individuals.
This is not the first time the SA is being accused of deploying violent means to interfere in internal student affairs of the state, Ogunwatch learnt that in 2021, a student Samson Ajasa, also known as Samrich was physically attacked and abducted. Samson who however claimed the SA masterminded the gruesome attack, proceeded with other students to stage a protest at the Governor’s office demanding the sack of Adeyemi.
The public relations officer of NANS, Owoeye Oluwafemi (MVP) when contacted by our correspondent claimed that he wasn’t aware of such meeting holding.
“I wasn’t part of any stakeholders meeting, the last meeting that I was part of in respect of NANS was the Senate sitting held on Saturday.
“If anyone gathered for a meeting, it would have been an unofficial gathering and I cannot report on that” he stressed.
Meanwhile, the SA to the governor on student matters, Adeyemi Azeez when contacted was unavailable as he told our reporter to call back, but never responded again despite several follow up calls.
