Angry students set provost’s residence on fire over alleged N23 million extortion
Students at the College of Health Sciences and Technology in Jega, Kebbi State, set fire to Provost Haruna Saidu-Sauwa’s apartment on Thursday in response to charges of extortion involving N23 million in tuition.
During the unrest, the students vandalised the provost’s vehicle.
The ruckus broke out after reports revealed that the institution administration requested an additional N65,000 from each of the 250 graduating students for index registration. This charge was in addition to the N30,000 they had previously paid.
The additional cost was purportedly linked to a new public health program that was originally associated with Reproductive Health and the Public Health Association of Nigeria.
According to an insider, the program was then combined with the Environmental Health Department to acquire certification, which management used to justify the additional expense.
The students, who saw the price as an attempt at extortion, rebelled by throwing stones, damaging property, and eventually setting fire to the provost’s residence. According to reports, staff members fled campus before law enforcement came to restore order.
Nafiu Abubakar, Public Relations Officer for the Kebbi State Police Command, said that more information will be available once the Divisional Police Officer in the Jega local government area completed preliminary investigations.
