By Musa Isa Ahmed
The outgoing students of the Adamawa state polytechnic destroyed a 500 capacity multipurpose lecture theatre, Students’ Union Government building and a male hostel during an unprovoked riot.
The rector who was vividly shaken by the incident told newsmen that the riot was unprovoked noting that it was sparked by revelries and celebration by outgoing students.
” Outgoing students usually celebrate what they call signing out. Each department celebrates this signing out. They usually go round the campus in celebration. The departments started this on Monday after finishing their exams that is second semester exam.
” After their exams, science laboratory technology students went to the football pitch to celebrate, but the security men reported to me that what they are doing is going to create problems because they are taking bottles of beer and smoking.
” I asked them to call the union leaders of the department. When the union leaders came, we told them that what they are doing is illegal. We asked them whether they were given permission to do it to which they they said no. So we asked them to stop the signing out immediately.
” The student’s affairs division issued a circular that there should be no more signing out again.
” But this morning when we came-in, students from crime department also finished their exam around 10:00am. So they started celebrating the so called signing out and security personnel, civil defence and the student’s union president told them to stop because there was a circular to that effect.
” They started throwing stones at the security personnel. Along the line, they damaged the car of the student union president. From there, they mobilized themselves they went out of the school premises even though security men tried to stop them.
” They became agitated and chased the security men. They came out and moved up to the roundabout. We invited security personnel of operation Farauta who chased them back to the campus using teargas.
” They mobilized again and security men started throwing teargas at them. The students in turn throw stones at the security personnel. But unfortunately, the security men are very few so they can’t confront the students.
” The police sent for reinforcements but before the reinforcement came, the students started serious destruction.
” They damaged the school’s 500 capacity multipurpose lecture theatre, they burnt the students union building completely and burnt part of block E, that is male hostel,” he said.
The rector noted that in order to avert further destruction, the management of the institution has shutdown the college indefinitely adding that an investigation committee will be put in place to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the riot.
