Management of the Benue State University has closed down the school following protest by some students in solidarity with those driven away from the examination hall over non- payment of school fees.
This is even as 7000 students in the state university could not register for the 2016/2017 academic session because of paucity of funds to pay their school fees.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Moses Kembe, who spoke in an interview in Makurdi, yesterday, said that the institution was shut to prevent the breakdown of law and order.
Kembe explained that the management of the institution took the decision because some people believed to be miscreants had infiltrated the university.
He added that among the arrested persons during the protest, one had been identified as a dismissed military officer, who stayed in the hostels with the students for about one month without notice.
The VC explained further that the suspect was arrested while the university security personnel were carrying out their routine check.
Kembe, however, said though more than seven thousand students could not register for the session due to paucity of funds, the school management had decided to device alternative measures to ensure that they remain in school.
“When school resumed for the session, more than seven thousand could not pay their fees and the management sat and decided that they should fill an undertaking form to be allowed to register.
“However, more than five thousand of the students refused to sign the forms. But, we have discovered to our dismay that the school is being infiltrated by some miscreants who are trying to cause trouble and that is while we had to shut down the school to resolve some of the issues before it reopens’’, the VC explained.
Earlier, some of the protesting students had alleged that the school management drove them out of the examination hall over non- payment of school fees.
