By Emma Nnadozie, Evelyn Usman, Olalekan Bilesanmi & Omodara Badejo.
Posted to the Web: Tuesday, March 01, 2005

LAGOS — TWO students were feared dead yesterday while about 32 persons were arrested by the police on Gaskiya Road, Badiya in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State following a clash among students of Gaskiya and Kadoso Secondary Schools, some area boys and the police.

The fracas which started last Thursday led to the destruction of many private and commercial vehicles while business activities were halted in the area. Already, the two neighbouring secondary schools involved in the fracas have been closed down by the school authorities while a team of mobile policemen are stationed at strategic locations at Gaskiya Road which leads to the schools.

Trouble reportedly started in the area last Thursday when two students of Gaskiya College fought over a walkman radio. The junior student who felt oppressed sought the assistance of his elder brother who works with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and he (the elder brother) brought two of his colleagues to the school the following day on a revenge mission.

Vanguard gathered that when they were unable to find the student who fought with their brother, they descended on other students and succeeded in inflicting injuries on many of them. It was learnt that other students regrouped and launched a reprisal attack which prompted other workers of the NURTW and area boys to fight back, resulting in a free for all fight.

Eyewitness accounts said many of the students were inflicted with matchet cuts by the rampaging area boys who were armed with dangerous weapons. A detachment of anti-riot policemen was later drafted to the area and succeeded in maintaining peace.

However, the story took a different dimension yesterday after the students who claimed that one of them died during the fracas hired five buses and stormed Amukoko Police Station to protest what they felt was unfair treatment by the police. One of the students told Vanguard that they went to the station with placards only for the police to attack them with bullets and at the end of the day, one of the students was shot at the back.

However, in a swift reaction, Lagos State Police spokesman, Mr. Adebayo Ademola, told Vanguard: "Nobody was shot throughout the period this fracas lasted. We only arrested 22 of the area boys and 10 of the students. What we used on them when they attacked Amukoko Police Station, destroyed and vandalised police vehicles was only tear-gas and in fact, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Haruna, gave specific instructions to that effect.

"They invaded the police station and even succeeded in shattering the window glasses. We earlier drafted about 20 policemen to the school after the fracas last week to maintain peace and we duly informed the school authorities. On sighting the policemen, they became restive but their Principal calmed them down. Why they later went to attack Amukoko Police Station is what I cannot understand but I am assuring you that the policemen cannot shoot anybody because they were directed to only make use of tear gas in dispersing the," he said.

Meanwhile, Lagos State Police Command has refutted reports pubished in Vanguard on Friday, February 25, 2005 that policemen joined touts to unleash mayhem on the school.

A statement signed by the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Demola Adebayo, said "despite the high display of indiscipline by the students, policemen drafted to the scene maintained a high sense of professionalism by refusing to be provoked."