Delta: Travellers Stranded as Ozoro Poly Students Shut Down Ughelli-Asaba Express Road over Fees Hike
LAGOS MARCH 5TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Travellers plying the ever busy Ughelli-Asaba Expressway were, yesterday, stranded for over two hours as students of Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro, Delta State, grounded all forms of vehicular movements along the Ozoro axis in protest against sudden hike in school fees by management of the institution.
The protest, which was said to have started at about 1pm, lasted for over two hours and brought activities within the school to a halt.
The students, who carried placards with inscriptions such as “reduce our school fees now” and “return to the old school fees,” said they would not call off the protest unless the school authorities reverse its decision.
It took the timely intervention of police officers from Ozoro Police Division, code-named Dragon Squad, who were promptly drafted to the scene to maintain law and order, for the protest not to turn violent.
A female student of the Business Administration Department in the institution, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the students were protesting the sudden increase of school fees from N32,000 to N54,850 for old and new students.
The students alleged that three of their colleagues were rushed to the hospital for medical attention, having sustained gunshot injuries from stray bullets during the protest.
Public Relations Officer, PRO, of the institution, Mr. B. Ekanem, declined commenting on the protest, saying he was not in the right mood.
When contacted, state Police PRO, DSP Celestina Kalu, denied that any student was shot during the protest.
