The Kwara State Police Command on Friday said a cop, identified as Fayemi Kehinde, was injured while a mosque and some vehicles were damaged during a protest by angry students of the Kwara State University.
It said the protest followed a sting operation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in Malete, the host community of the university on Wednesday night.
Fifty persons, comprising 48 students of KWASU, were among the suspects paraded at the Ilorin zonal office of the EFCC for alleged cybercrime on Thursday.
During the crisis, the police station at Malete, in the Moro Local Government Area of the state was reportedly attacked by some students.
However, the Commissioner of Police, Victor Olaiya, said a mosque and some vehicles were damaged by a gathering of students at Malete town
Olaiya, in a statement, on Friday said, “Reports indicate that the gatherings, which began at about 1600hrs, centered around grievances related to the recent raids on black-spots around the school’s premises by operatives of the NDLEA. Students living off campus expressed their dissent, and marched from various parts of the town to Okoru Junction close to Malete Police Division, carrying placards with various inscriptions such as, “Say No to NDLEA”.
“Efforts were made to engage with the students, persuading them to return to their respective hostels and maintain peace. In the process, they encountered a white Toyota Hilux vehicle with registration number Lagos AGL 574 HZ, occupied by four armed policemen from Ila-Orangun led by Inspector Ibrahim Ali and three others on an official assignment to Malete.
“They were mistaken for operatives of the NDLEA. Consequently, the students chased them to Malete Divisional Police Headquarters, where the students began to throw stones into the police station.
“Regrettably, this led to some damages to the rooftop of the mosque and the windscreen of vehicles parked in the station. The policemen fired tear gas canisters to disperse the violent crowd to prevent further damage at the police station.
“Additionally, one police officer, PC Fayemi Kehinde, sustained minor injuries as a result of the stones thrown at the police station. He was given first aid treatment at the hospital and discharged.”
