By UPDATE: LASU Management Addresses Report On Bodily Injury Inflicted On Student By Security Official
The management of Lagos State University, Ojo has officially reacted to the ugly incident that occurred on October 25th when a student was rough-handled by one of the Campus security, Marshal at the Polling Centre during the Students’ Union Election Exercise.
According to the statement issued by Dr O. S. Obayori, the Acting Dean of Students’ Affairs, the management do not support the man-handling of any students of the institution and have commenced investigation to reach a logical conclusion and promised to apply appropriate sanction.
The statement also revealed the process of holding erring students if found wanting, stating the administration do not approve of self-help or inflict injury on students whenever a case arises.
Read the full statement below…
The attention of the University Management has been drawn to an incident that occurred during the Lagos State University Students’ Union (LASUSU) Election held on Wednesday, 25th October, 2017, where a student, Adeleye Samuel of the Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences, sustained bodily injury at the Faculty of Arts Polling Centre after an encounter with a University Security Operative.
1. We wish to state categorically that the University Management unreservedly regrets the ugly incident.
2. We are assuring our dear students, the University Community and the General Public that the matter is being investigated, as the University does not encourage a situation in which any staff member would resort to self-help or inflict injury on students in the course of handling cases of infraction or any other issue for that matter. This particular incident will be pursued to a logical conclusion and appropriate sanction applied.
3. The University has a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that addresses matters or relating to erring students. The SOP, publicized in the Official Bulletin of the University on Monday, 20th February, 2017, states amongst other things that:
i. On apprehending of student(s), the Security Operative needs to inform the Student(s) of reason(s) for the arrest.
ii. No Student(s) should be manhandled.
iii. Students can be handcuffed only in criminal matters, such as possession of dangerous arms.
iv. Personal belonging may be withheld, only, if it relates to the purpose of arrest.
v. On arrival of apprehended student at Security Investigation Bureau, the arrested person must be given the privilege to call representative of the Students’ Union as provided by staff of the Security Investigation Bureau [SIB].
4. For the avoidance of doubt, such incident as witnessed in this instance, rather than being common place as variously claimed by commentators, particularly, on Social Media platforms,
5. Once more, the University Management enjoins all Students to remain calm, conform with the rules and regulations of the University at all times and maintain the peace, while investigation continues.
