From Placards to Handcuffs: When Protest Clashes with Power
The recent peaceful demonstration that led to the arrest of two students from Obafemi Awolowo University on Thursday, June 5, during the visit of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has spread like wildfire, resulting in controversy within the campus community and on various social media platforms. Reports from both campus-based and mainstream media outlets claim that the students were forced out of Oduduwa Hall for raising placards and disrupting the public lecture titled “The Nigeria of Our Dreams,” which was presented by the Minister of the FCT.
The students in question are Oladepo Joshua, a final-year student from the Department of Political Science, and Ejike Kelechi, a 200-level student from the Department of Psychology. In a bid to unravel the cause of the arrest and its aftermath, Icons correspondents engaged one of the students in an exclusive interview.
Oladepo Joshua, a final-year student in the Department of Political Science, currently serves as the President of the Federation of Ibadan Students’ Union (FIBSU) and the National Coordinator of the Alliance of Nigeria Students Against Liberal Attacks (ANSA). While sharing his account of the event, he stated that the protest was intended to be peaceful and symbolic; hence, only he and a fellow student, Ejike Kelechi, were involved. He added that the content of their placards was originally aimed at conveying a message to Minister Wike, urging him to compensate the victims of house demolitions in Abuja, and demanding that the OAU management focus more on the pressing issues affecting students, such as the provision of valid ID cards, hostel management, and the inadequacies and malapropisms in lecture theatres, among others.
Oladepo maintained that OAU campus unionism has, over the years, been known for its strong stance against all forms of oppression, which is not limited to Nigerian students but extends to the masses. The union achieves this by refusing to form alliances or compromise with politicians in any way, not even to the extent of holding a public lecture in the university hall; however, it seems such unionism has gone into extinction on the campus. He pointed out that the protest was completely non-violent yet was met with aggression. He narrated that the first person to caution their demonstration was a fellow student, John Ude, from the Faculty of Education, who he said had allegedly been previously suspended from the institution for cult-related behaviour among students.
He further debunked the claim made to the press by the university’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr Abiodun Olanrewaju, that the students were simply escorted out of the Oduduwa Hall, stating it was nothing but a blatant lie. He clarified that they were not beaten in the hall; however, immediately after stepping out, they were attacked and beaten by all ranks of security officers present, including OAU security personnel, the Nigeria Police, DSS officers, and several other campus security enforcers. He added that Mr Bayo, one of the OAU security personnel, deliberately seized his phone, beat him, and dragged him forcefully away from Oduduwa Hall to the security department inside the old Senate building. Ejike’s phone was violently taken and smashed as they received beatings from different officers, even after arriving at the security department.
While still inside the security department, he said they were handcuffed and forced to write statements under pressure, with threats of suspension from the university by the Vice Dean of the Division of Student Affairs, Mr Olasunkanmi, and several others he could not remember. They were then taken to Moore Police Station and locked up with other individuals in the cell. He recalled that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Moore Police Station and the Area Commander, both armed, entered their cell and asked, “What value have you added to Nigeria as undergraduates, and what do you hope to achieve with the protest?” while they were still locked up.
Oladepo noted that their release, which he believed was prompted by pressures from their comrades in various activism clubs at both OAU and other institutions, was due to his communication with them via a WhatsApp voice note when he and Kelechi were first approached in Oduduwa Hall. As they came down to Moore Station, they were gyrating and demanding their swift release. He also acknowledged the active involvement of the Great Ife Students’ Union leaders, including the President, the Secretary General, the Assistant Secretary General, and other union members. He added that the collective efforts of these individuals played a prominent role in advocating for their release, as they sensed a planned delay that could postpone it until the next day, which happens to be a public holiday lasting until the following Tuesday and could potentially lead to their transfer to Abuja. Although this was not officially mentioned, he suspected it based on how the situation was being handled.
Sequel to the release around 10:00p.m. on Thursday, 5th June 2025, he narrated that their belongings, including Ejike’s phone, which was smashed by one of the security officers, his own phone, which was allegedly confiscated by Mr Bayo, their bags, and other personal items, are still being held by the OAU security. He explained further that their attempt to claim these items from the OAU security unit the day after the incident proved abortive, as they were told to come back after the public holiday. When they returned on Tuesday, 10th June 2025, the security personnel denied that their items had been collected. He noted that, although the Vice-Dean of the Division of Student Affairs threatened them with suspension, their student portal remains active and accessible.
Moreover, Oladepo maintained that the accusation of “violence against persons” levied against them was false, since their protest was peaceful and symbolic. Hence, he called on the entire university community to support them in demanding the release of their belongings from the concerned security personnel and to ensure that no harm, in terms of academics, physical wellbeing, or other matters, befalls him, Ejike, or their family members.
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