- Kwara Poly students say police actions triggered the protest
- Students deny being sponsored by politicians or groups
- NYSC camp use disrupted academics and student housing
- SUG insists protest was about welfare, not politics
Students of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, have rejected claims that their recent protest was politically motivated, insisting that the demonstration was a direct response to police actions on campus and the prolonged use of school facilities for the NYSC orientation camp, which they say has disrupted academic life and endangered student welfare.
Students of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, have called on policymakers and education stakeholders to hold police officials invited to the campus responsible for the protest that rocked the institution on Tuesday.
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The students also firmly denied allegations that they were sponsored by any political group or individual to protest against the continued use of their campus as a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp.
Speaking during a press conference held over the weekend, the students expressed disappointment that what they described as a peaceful response to police brutality was being “wrongly interpreted” as a politically driven action.
In recent days, speculations had emerged suggesting that the protest was linked to political interests within the state. However, the students dismissed such claims as false and misleading.
They explained that the presence of corps members on campus had severely affected their academic activities, with hostels taken over, lectures disrupted, and campus life brought to a standstill.
“Our studies were interrupted, our accommodation was taken away, and our safety was threatened, yet our complaints were ignored,” one of the students said.
The President of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Maruf Ibrahim, insisted that the protest was purely about student welfare.
“Let us be clear. This struggle is not political, sponsored, or manipulated by any external force. It is the genuine cry of students defending their welfare, dignity, and right to education,” Ibrahim said.
He added that the situation went beyond administrative inconvenience.
“What we experience is not just an administrative issue; it is a human one,” he stated.
Explaining the root of the protest, Ibrahim said that the polytechnic had been used as an NYSC orientation camp for several months due to security challenges in the state.
While acknowledging the importance of the NYSC scheme as a national programme, he stressed that its continued stay on campus had come at a heavy cost to students.
“Hostels paid for by students were taken over. Academic activities were disrupted. Sports and campus life were halted. Many students were suddenly left without shelter without clear alternatives,” he said.
