At least two persons were yesterday feared killed while others were injured following a clash between the police and protesters at the Niger Delta University (NDU), Amasoma, in Bayelsa state. NDU, which was shut in March following incessant protests over hike in students’ fees, was scheduled to be reopened yesterday by the university management. However, members of Amasoma community, aggrieved by job losses following ongoing reforms in Bayelsa public service, had blocked all major roads leading to the NDU for the past one week.
It was gathered that the security agencies deployed to reopen the gates of the institution clashed with the angry crowd that insisted that the institution remains shut. Residents near the university community said the clash turned violent as the police officers resorted to fi ring gunshots to disperse the protesters. This resulted in the death of at least two persons, while others were injured. “We feel that the school is part of our community and we gave up our lands to support the establishment of the school with the understanding that the schoo will provide some jobs to our people and now those jobs are gone.
“The reforms are targeted at members of the host community, the loss of 1,700 jobs is not a joke and we urge the government to respect the understanding we had with the university management in the early days,” one of the protesters said.
