As the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) continue with its nationwide protests over the lingering industrial action embarked upon by lecturers, the Police in Ondo State have warned the union branch in the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State against embarking on its planned protest on Thursday.
Since last week, some branches have been protesting with the Police, frustrating similar plan for protest by the lecturers in the University of Calabar.
Huhuonline.com learnt from some lecturers that a Police detachment had been deployed to the school and other target areas since afternoon of Wednesday to forestall any protest by the lecturers.
“They came this afternoon with armoured personnel carriers and stationed one at the main gate of our institutions. Why would they do that when they know that we are civilians who can never be armed?” a lecturer, who refused to be named, asked.
The source said the lecturers would meet to decide whether to continue with the protest or hold back
While the Ondo Police spokesperson, Wole Ogodo, said the lecturers had not obtained permission for the protest and as such, it was illegal, the union chairman in the State, Busuyi Mekusi said they did not need Police permission for the action again as they had written before to the police commissioner to inform him of the planned protest but that the Police had not responded since then.
Reacting through a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday, counsel to ASUU, Titiloye Charles accused the Police of partisanship, alleging that while providing cover for the anti-ASUU group, it has made the lecturers vulnerable, especially with the threat against them.
He said the protest was not meant to cause trouble but to draw the sympathy of Nigerians to the plight of the lecturers, so they could be supported in the struggle to liberate the education sector of the country. He said the letter ASUU sent to the Police was to ask for police protection during the exercise since lecturers have the right to freedom of assembly.
