A combined team of Security Operatives, on Thursday, raided Olive Hostel, an off-campus hostel occupied by students of Imo State University, breaking over 15 doors and arresting no less than twenty students.
Iron doors of the hostel located at the popular IMSU front gate were broken by the police officers.
One of the occupants of the hostel told Standard Observers that the operatives including police and military officer invaded the hostel in four vehicles around 8 pm on Thursday night over a disagreement between two other occupants of the building and another girl they were squatting.
The occupant who spoke on the conditions of anonymity said trouble began when a female student squatting with two other students had a misunderstanding.
“They had issues with the girl and told the girl to evacuate their room but the squatter didn’t accept their decision, so she started causing problems with the two girls.
“She locked the door from inside and threw the key through the window so they would fight and kill themselves but the hostel residents came and opened the door and separated them.
“She later vowed to deal with them, contacted some security operatives who came to raid the hostel, beat people and packed about 20 students to their station”
Another occupant of the hostel said: “It was like a war situation. We ran thinking they were armed robbers as they went from room to room breaking doors and arresting everyone on sight.
“They brought us out; beating and flogging us, took our phones, then drove us in their vehicles to Shell Camp Police Station and asked us to bail ourselves”.
She said that some of them were driven to nearby ATM points where they withdrew between 10, 20 and 30 thousand naira to secure their freedom, adding that those who couldn’t bail themselves were detained at the station.
She added that one of the students whose vehicle was taken by the officers was asked to pay N300,000 to be secure his freedom.
Another occupant of the building said she paid N60, 000 in order to be released.
When contacted, Mike Abbatam, the public relations officer of the Imo State police command denied knowledge of the development.
He, however, added that he would get back when he makes some findings.
