Police officers attached to the Aba Divisional headquarters of the Abia State Command of the Nigerian police on Thursday fired live rounds at students of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, who were protesting the rape of their female colleagues by a randy police officer.
The protest yesterday brought academic activities to a standstill in the school as they took over the Aba-Owerri road.
A policemen attached to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), in Aba had raped the students during a raid on one of the off-campus apartments.
The students stated that three female students, residing at a Lodge, near the Aba North council headquarters, were raped and taken to an undisclosed hospital in the area.
The students lamented that some personnel of the RRS team had been sexually assaulting them at their lodge.
Some of the placards displayed during the protest include; “Say no to rape”’, “Sell this school and give us our money back”, among others.
But police men sent to monitor the protest, however, embarked on a brutal crackdown of the students, shooting live rounds at them and injuring many.
The students of the Department of Civil Engineering also lamented that they were being given certificates bearing Department of Building upon graduation and urged the Abia State government and the management of the polytechnic to expedite action to accredit the department to enable them graduate with certificates bearing Civil Engineering.
While addressing the protesting students, Rector of the Polytechnic, Prof. Kalu Osonwa, explained that he got information that the RRS men were assaulting students.
