The management of Federal Polytechnic Ede in Osun State has expelled 27 students for their alleged involvement in a campus protest that led to property damage.
According to PUNCH Online, the protest erupted on Thursday, May 9, 2024, when students, angered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) night raid and arrest of their colleagues in Owode, a nearby community, stormed the campus and engaged in violent demonstrations.
During the protest, the polytechnic’s Staff Club was attacked, and several vehicles were damaged by the protesters.
Mr. Sola Lawal, the institution’s Public Relations Officer, stated that the management would conduct an investigation to determine the immediate and underlying causes of the incident.
Revealing the findings of the investigation in a statement obtained in Osogbo on Tuesday, Lawal announced that, in addition to the 27 students who were expelled, two former student union leaders have been barred from entering the campus, and eight students have been suspended for two academic sessions.
The statement read, “Gentlemen of the press, you would recall that the management of Federal Polytechnic Ede, Osun State, constituted an investigation committee to uncover the causes behind the student crisis and rampage of Thursday, May 9, 2024, which led to the stoning of people at the senior staff club.”
“The unprovoked attitude led to the vandalisation of individual and institution’s properties. This unwarranted action negates the motto of the great citadel which is “knowledge, skill and character, which the institution is known for.
“After a painstaking and thorough investigation, the following decisions were arrived at:
“Expelled students -27, (HND 1 & 2), suspended students for two (2) academic sessions -eight (8), (HND 2). Two (2) former student union leaders were banned from entering the campus with immediate effect.”