Personnel of the Nigerian Army on Thursday dispersed protesting students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), using gunshots and tear gas after the students barricaded major roads to demand an end to the ongoing industrial action that has grounded academic activities in the institution.

The students had taken to the streets to protest the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Joint Action Committee (JAC), comprising the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), across state-owned tertiary institutions in Ondo State.

Video clips obtained by Daily Trust showed armed soldiers in camouflage uniforms chasing and dispersing students around the campus vicinity.

Despite military presence and the reported use of gunshots and tear gas, many of the students initially stood their ground, displaying placards with inscriptions such as “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”, while demanding the implementation of agreements reached with the unions and the payment of outstanding salary arrears.

Reacting to the development, the 18th General Secretary of the AAUA Students’ Union, Tolulope Adeyefa, condemned the action of the military, describing the deployment of armed personnel against peaceful student protesters as unacceptable.

In a series of posts on his official X account, Adeyefa said the students were exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest over the prolonged closure of academic activities caused by the strike.

“The report that officers of the Nigerian Army disrupted the peaceful protest by students of AAUA earlier today against the continued failure of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to end the prolonged ASUU strike in the university is very condemnable,” he stated.

The incident comes amid growing unrest across tertiary institutions in Ondo State, with students calling on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to urgently engage the striking unions and restore academic activities in the affected institutions.

As at the time of filling this report, Nigeria Army had not reacted to the development. (Daily Trust)