The Management of Isa Musthapha Agwai Polytechnic Lafia, has shut down the institution for one week following students’ protest on Thursday.
Newsmen report that the students had barricaded the Lafia-Jos Road for several hours, to protest the alleged closure of the school’s registration portal by its management.
Dr Justina Kotso, Rector of the polytechnic announced the temporary closure of the school while briefing newsmen on the aftermath of the protest in Lafia.
She said decision to shut down the institution for one week was reached at an emergency management meeting following the unrest in the school.
“We woke up Thursday morning preparing our students for semester examination scheduled to begin on Monday, March 15, then suddenly we realised that the students started a protest.”
She said that management tried to find out the reason for the protest by meeting with the leadership of the Students’ Union Government.
“The students who were carrying placards started throwing stones breaking glasses and even after meeting with their leaders,” she said.
“When they came to the admirative block, we had a meeting with the students union government, but did not know why they started destroying items,” the Kotso added.
The rector, however, denied the allegation by the students that the management had closed the registration portal and increased late registration fee from N5, 000 to N10, 000.She explained that the registration portal was still open, adding that the management do not have the power to increase any fee or registration in the institution.
Kotso also disclosed that the management had set up a committee to investigate the remote and immediate cause of the protest and report to the management for onward action.
Newsmen also report that during the protest, the students destroyed part of the institution’s administrative block, street lights, water tank, vehicles, and the Information and Communication (ICT) Centre, among others before they were dispersed by a combined team of Police and the Army.
