Police firing live ammunition at Abia Poly students angers Gov. Ikpeazu

[From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia]

Abia Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has strongly condemned the Police shooting of students of the State Polytechnic, Aba, during a protest at the institution.

“The act of the Police Officers was excessive, uncalled for and could aggravate an already tensed situation which could lead to collateral damages,” Ikpeazu said while reacting to the alleged firing at the students by operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Thursday.

The students who blocked the ever-busy Aba-Owerri road, were reportedly protesting the alleged rape of three female students of the institution by RRS operatives.

They protest which grounded academic activities was also said to have been triggered by the alleged Non-accreditation of all the courses of the entire Engineering Department of the school.

The Police, in a bid to disperse the protesting students, allegedly fired live ammunition but there have been no reports of casualties.

A livid Ikpeazu said “shooting at unarmed students who were protesting the alleged sexual assault of one of them by a police officer is against all known and recognized rules of engagement by law enforcement officers who could have employed other means other than deadly force to disperse the protesting students.”

While noting that the State Government was already looking into the issues that led to yesterday’s protest which created a huge traffic jam along Aba-Owerri Road, the Governor insisted that the use of deadly force by the Police was completely unacceptable to the State Government and outrightly condemnable.

Ikpeazu urged the State Police Commissioner and the Area Commander in charge of Aba to ensure that the Officers who were involved in Thursday’s shooting incident are identified and disciplined in line with extant Police Regulations, while further ensuring that such display of disproportionate force doesn’t happen again.

The Governor also advised the Students to be disciplined and avoid taking the law into their hands even while protesting, adding that they must, at all times, exercise restraint when confronted by Police Officers who on lawful duty.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Onyebuchi Ememanka, quoted the Governor as further saying:

“Under no circumstances”, the Governor said, “must students confront Police officers who are engaged in their lawful duties,” adding that the Police has a responsibility under the law to ensure that peaceful protests by students are not hijacked by hoodlums whose intentions are different from the those of the students.

He warned that while the State Government would not condone the use of excessive force by Police Officers, any student who, under the guise of a protest, chooses to unlawfully confront an armed Police officer must be prepared to face the consequences.

The Oracle Today gathered that academic activities were disrupted Thursday as students of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba went haywire as they blocked the Aba/Owerri Road axis leading to the school while protesting what they called failure of the school management to accredit the entire Engineering Department.

The students, in their thousands, who were due to commence their semester examination same day, halted vehicular movement for hours as they protested the alleged rape of three of their colleagues by operatives of RRS  just as they mentioned non-payment of salaries of their lecturers, among other issues.

A Student of Civil Engineering, Izuchukwu Nwokoma, told newsmen that the protest was necessitated by the failure of the school management to accredit the entire Engineering Department.

He added that it was regrettable that after their finals, they were issued a result bearing that of Department of Building. He called on Abia State Government and the School Management to expedite action so as to enable them graduate with results bearing Civil Engineering.

On the alleged rape by RRS operatives, a female Student of Accounting who pleaded anonimity, said that three students living at an undisclosed lodge around Aba North were mercilessly raped and have been taken to hospital for medical attention. She said such assault has been taking place, unchecked.

Wife of the Governor, Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu, has visited the raped female students in the hospital and assured them that justice would be done in the matter.

Meanwhile, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Professor Kalu Osonwa, said he received messages that men of the Rapid Response Response (RRS) were assaulting the students.

He promised that as a father and as the Rector of the Institution, he would ensure that no student would be sexually harassed, no matter the individual involved; just as he assured that the school management would look into the issues raised by the students, including accreditation of the Engineering Department, among others.