Oyo abduction: NANS, CSO clash over protest disruption

A public forum intended to discuss security in Oyo State became the stage for a heated exchange between student leaders and activists over the disruption of protests related to the abduction of schoolchildren.

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We are here for the town hall meeting, and people have been saying their opinions on how to make this insecurity issue better. So, when it time of civil society organizations, Take It Back Movement was now saying the government was sponsoring us to disrupt their protests which was not true.

The National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) and the Take It Back Movement Nigeria traded accusations regarding a protest that clashed with student demonstrators. Femi Adeyeye of the Take It Back Movement claimed their peaceful protest was disrupted by NANS members. However, Damilare Olayemi, Assistant General Secretary of NANS Joint Campus Council, refuted this, alleging the CSO falsely accused students of being government-sponsored disruptors.

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The day of that incident, I was there, because we were heading to Oriire in Ogbomoso where the incident happened. We were buying fuel at one of the filling stations around Bodija axis and they block the road. We have about 30 vehicles on the road. And we told them to allow us to move and that was what transpared, within a twinkle of an eye, they started throwing stones on us. Are they expecting us not to retaliate? It is not possible.

Olayemi recounted that his group's convoy of about 30 vehicles was en route to the abduction site in Oriire when they were blocked near Bodija. He stated that when they asked to pass, protesters began throwing stones, prompting retaliation. "Are they expecting us not to retaliate? It is not possible," Olayemi said, adding that the protest they were heading towards had already been acknowledged by the Governor and other unions.

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You are now here saying it was government that sent us to disrupt their protest. We protested to the Governor’s Office that very day where Nigeria Labour Congress, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Trade Union Congress, workers and other affiliated unions were protesting, and the government said it’s working on it.

NANS maintains that the government is actively working on the security situation and that prolonged protests could be exploited by kidnappers. "Our stand is that we believe government is working on it, and if they are not working on it, they should do more. But these people should not come here or go anywhere and be spoiling the name of our association," Olayemi stated. Adeyeye, however, alleged that the student body members were not initially in Ibadan before the protest began.

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Our stand is that we believe government is working on it, and if they are not working on it, they should do more. But these people should not come here or go anywhere and be spoiling the name of our association.