Many injured as soldiers disperse protesting students in Ondo

Many injured as soldiers disperse protesting students in Ondo

Many students and passersby have been injured as soldiers dispersed protesters who occupied the Ilesha-Akure-Owo highway over prolonged strike action of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The protesting students from various tertiary institutions in the State blocked the highway with canopies and set up a musical stage.

They brought gas and pots for cooking on the highway.

A few hours into the protest, which entered its second day, some soldiers passing through the state approached the students to allow them to pass through.

The students’ leaders insisted the soldiers would not pass.

This infuriated the soldiers who started firing into the air to disperse the students.

The protesting students fled the scene as passersby and stranded motorists abandoned their vehicles.

All the canopies and musical sets were destroyed while free flow of traffic was restored.

As of press time, the students had begun converging for another protest.

The National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) has asked students to protest at least three hours a day to force the federal accede to the demands of ASUU.

A source at the 32 Artillery Brigade in Akure said the soldiers were not from the Command.

Some of the students who spoke said the number of injured students was yet to be ascertained.