OAU Management Denies Allegation Linking Them to DSS Decision to Prosecute Students Involved in #RevolutionNow Protest
Oladeji Olaniyan
Some Students of Obafemi Awolowo University, ile-ife, Osun State, who were arrested and detained by the Department of State Service (DSS) during the #RevolutionNow peaceful protest in Oshogbo on the 5th of August have accused the institution management of playing a part in their impending court prosecution.
One of the Students, Owoyeye Olaoluwa, who spoke with this News Agency during an interview alleged that the school management is aware of their detention by the Department of State Service, noting that they are influencing their imminent court prosecution.
"Of course, they influenced we going to court. Let me analyse it to you. At first when we got to the police station on the 5th of August - there was nothing about our academic activities that was asked, you get?"
"But On Wednesday when we wanted to be released, we went to the commissioner of police. The commissioner of police said he’s going to release us on bail, so we were actually given our bail conditions which we actually wanted to perfect. It was about time for us to perfect it then the order came again that we are going to court."
"The order came that we are actually going to court then our matric number were collected and in fact, one of the police officers was even making calls to the CSO but then the number never went through. He never knew we were following the conversation the way he wanted to talk, you get? But the number never, It’s just the Vice chancellor wanting the federal government to know that he’s still a loyalist. He is instrumental, he’s an instrument to the oppressor of course," he alleged
He further accused the management of being a stooge of the federal government
"That’s just what he wanted to show to the federal government, that he is still a loyalist and he will to go to any length to oppress any voice that stand against the federal government," he said.
Furthermore, When asked about the basis of his allegation that the University management is influencing their court prosecution, he noted that when they were first arrested - their matric numbers were not requested until the day they were about going to court.
"At all, at all (their matric numbers were not requested initially). In fact, I told them I’m a law student. The rest told them their faculty and department but our matric numbers were not asked, you get? But it was on the day we wanted to go to court that they asked for our matric numbers. In fact, we followed the call that one of the men was making," he alleged.
The #RevolutionNow peaceful protest happened on Monday, 5th of August and there were attempts of restraining it by armed forces which led to arrest of protesters. However, there was hardly an attempt of prosecuting any arrested protesters. Some OAU students were arrested in Oshogbo for participating in the protest and they are currently being prosecuted. The students are alleging the school management of influencing the DSS decision to prosecute them on the basis of its suddenness and a call made to the school Chief Security Officer.
However, During a telephone conversation with the University Chief Security Officer, Mr. Babatunde Oyatokun, he stated that the university management was initially not aware that some of the students who were arrested are the students of the institution, noting that it was upon getting an information that he became aware of their arrest.
"I am not aware of their arrest because they did not inform me that they were going there. I was not aware initially that they were our students, I only got an information that some of our students were arrested and I called the Police station to confirm if they were actually our students but they asked me to check back on Monday. It was on that Monday, when they were about to be arraigned before the magistrate court, it was at that level i got to know that they were our students."
He also expressed his opinion that he never expected the students will be the one championing the protest in Oshogbo, noting that it was the people in Lagos that were expected to be involved in the protest
"People believed that the people in Lagos should be directly involved in the protest and not Obafemi Awolowo University students, that was the impression. So nobody (management) has any information that our students went for the protest," he said.However, it was initially clarified that the protest will take place in almost all states of the federation.
Furthermore, he affirmed that the University management are not aware of the students' arrest but it was recently after they were released that another information got to him that another students was in the Department of State Service Custody
"The university do not have knowledge about their arrest. It was even recently after they were released on bail that we got another information that one of them is in DSS custody. And you know DSS, when they are doing their investigation, you just can't go and meet them. What they did for us was to send us his details to confirm if he is one of our students because that person (student) did not tell them initially that he is one of our students. If he had done so, they (DSS) said they would have got in touch with the University authorities," he said.
When asked about what the management is putting in place to assist the Students in their trial, he said he is not in the best position to disclose such information stating that the Vice Chancellor, Division of Student affairs and the University Public Relations Officer are. He also said that the University is not influencing nor masterminding any thing
" I am not in the position to answer that question, the Vice chancellor, Public relations officer and Dean, Division of students affairs are in better position to answer that. I don't know what the university intend on doing to assist them. But as far as I am concerned, We (management) are not aware of their arrest, we did not actually mastermind their arrest in any form, we are not the architect behind their arrest in any form. The University did not influence any thing as far as I know."
Meanwhile, the Students have been released on bail and the court case of the students has been adjourned till October 15.
Some Students of Obafemi Awolowo University, ile-ife, Osun State, who were arrested and detained by the Department of State Service (DSS) during the #RevolutionNow peaceful protest in Oshogbo on the 5th of August have accused the institution management of playing a part in their impending court prosecution.
One of the Students, Owoyeye Olaoluwa, who spoke with this News Agency during an interview alleged that the school management is aware of their detention by the Department of State Service, noting that they are influencing their imminent court prosecution.
"Of course, they influenced we going to court. Let me analyse it to you. At first when we got to the police station on the 5th of August - there was nothing about our academic activities that was asked, you get?"
"But On Wednesday when we wanted to be released, we went to the commissioner of police. The commissioner of police said he’s going to release us on bail, so we were actually given our bail conditions which we actually wanted to perfect. It was about time for us to perfect it then the order came again that we are going to court."
"The order came that we are actually going to court then our matric number were collected and in fact, one of the police officers was even making calls to the CSO but then the number never went through. He never knew we were following the conversation the way he wanted to talk, you get? But the number never, It’s just the Vice chancellor wanting the federal government to know that he’s still a loyalist. He is instrumental, he’s an instrument to the oppressor of course," he alleged
He further accused the management of being a stooge of the federal government
"That’s just what he wanted to show to the federal government, that he is still a loyalist and he will to go to any length to oppress any voice that stand against the federal government," he said.
Furthermore, When asked about the basis of his allegation that the University management is influencing their court prosecution, he noted that when they were first arrested - their matric numbers were not requested until the day they were about going to court.
"At all, at all (their matric numbers were not requested initially). In fact, I told them I’m a law student. The rest told them their faculty and department but our matric numbers were not asked, you get? But it was on the day we wanted to go to court that they asked for our matric numbers. In fact, we followed the call that one of the men was making," he alleged.
The #RevolutionNow peaceful protest happened on Monday, 5th of August and there were attempts of restraining it by armed forces which led to arrest of protesters. However, there was hardly an attempt of prosecuting any arrested protesters. Some OAU students were arrested in Oshogbo for participating in the protest and they are currently being prosecuted. The students are alleging the school management of influencing the DSS decision to prosecute them on the basis of its suddenness and a call made to the school Chief Security Officer.
However, During a telephone conversation with the University Chief Security Officer, Mr. Babatunde Oyatokun, he stated that the university management was initially not aware that some of the students who were arrested are the students of the institution, noting that it was upon getting an information that he became aware of their arrest.
"I am not aware of their arrest because they did not inform me that they were going there. I was not aware initially that they were our students, I only got an information that some of our students were arrested and I called the Police station to confirm if they were actually our students but they asked me to check back on Monday. It was on that Monday, when they were about to be arraigned before the magistrate court, it was at that level i got to know that they were our students."
He also expressed his opinion that he never expected the students will be the one championing the protest in Oshogbo, noting that it was the people in Lagos that were expected to be involved in the protest
"People believed that the people in Lagos should be directly involved in the protest and not Obafemi Awolowo University students, that was the impression. So nobody (management) has any information that our students went for the protest," he said.However, it was initially clarified that the protest will take place in almost all states of the federation.
Furthermore, he affirmed that the University management are not aware of the students' arrest but it was recently after they were released that another information got to him that another students was in the Department of State Service Custody
"The university do not have knowledge about their arrest. It was even recently after they were released on bail that we got another information that one of them is in DSS custody. And you know DSS, when they are doing their investigation, you just can't go and meet them. What they did for us was to send us his details to confirm if he is one of our students because that person (student) did not tell them initially that he is one of our students. If he had done so, they (DSS) said they would have got in touch with the University authorities," he said.
When asked about what the management is putting in place to assist the Students in their trial, he said he is not in the best position to disclose such information stating that the Vice Chancellor, Division of Student affairs and the University Public Relations Officer are. He also said that the University is not influencing nor masterminding any thing
" I am not in the position to answer that question, the Vice chancellor, Public relations officer and Dean, Division of students affairs are in better position to answer that. I don't know what the university intend on doing to assist them. But as far as I am concerned, We (management) are not aware of their arrest, we did not actually mastermind their arrest in any form, we are not the architect behind their arrest in any form. The University did not influence any thing as far as I know."
Meanwhile, the Students have been released on bail and the court case of the students has been adjourned till October 15.
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