16th March, 2001

Nigeria:
UI Authorities, Stop using Cults to attack Activists

The Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) condemns in its entirety the unleashing of violent secret cultists on student activists by the authorities of the University of Ibadan (UI). Since the evening of yesterday, Thursday, 15th March, 2001, these authority-sponsored cultists have unleashed mindless violence on leading student activists on the campus.

Among those attacked and seriously wounded are Mr. Wale Eleto (Secretary General of the UI students' union), Mr. Akeem Lawal (president) and Mr. Ibrahim Lawal (ex-speaker of the students' union parliament). These three student leaders are lying in critical conditions at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan as at the time this press statement is being written. Wale Eleto and Ibrahim Lawal are both members of DSM.

This latest spate of cult violence is not unconnected with the controversy over the conduct of the students' union election which has pitched the students of the institution against the school authority for almost six months. The students are insisting on their legitimate democratic right to independently conduct the students' union elections without any interference from the authorities. On the contrary, the authorities have refused to recognise the popularly-elected students' union officers and has insisted on organising fresh elections.

These violence on activists reveals the desperation of the UI authorities. It is a barbaric attempt to suppress the democratic rights of students to independent unionism and to intimidate genuine union activists. Wale Eleto, Akeem Lawal and Ibrahim Lawal are primary targets of these violent attacks because they have been at the forefront of the struggle to defend students' right to independent students' unionism in UI. The three activists are among the 46 which the UI authorities illegally suspended from the school in January over their union activities but whose studentship were restored by the court.

The DSM calls on the mass media, students unions, NANS, trade unions, NLC, pro-democracy groups, and labour and youth activists to expose and condemn the dastardly acts being perpetrated by the UI authorities and their war against independent students' unionism.

We demand:

  • an end to authority-sponsored cult violence on union activists
  • an independent, public enquiry into the entire incident
  • the immediate resignation of the vice-chancellor of UI
  • respect for the right of students to independent unions without any interference from the authorities. School authorities to hands off students' union election.
  • immediate arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of these attacks and their sponsors.

DAGGA TOLAR (SIGNED)
Publicity Secretary, Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM)

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST MOVEMENT
National Secretariat:
162, Ipaja Road,
Agege,
Lagos,
Nigeria.
Tel: ++00 234 1 492 5671
E-mail: dsm@beta.linkserve.com
16th March, 2001.
PRESS RELEASE

 
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