Students at the College of Health Sciences and Technology in Jega, Kebbi State, have “set the residence of the Provost, Alhaji Haruna Saidu-Sauwa, on fire” and “vandalised his vehicle.”
The protest began due to allegations that the college management “extorted N23m from the students” for “index registration for 250 graduating students.”
According to a source, the controversy started with a newly introduced Public Health programme initially affiliated with the Reproductive Health and the Public Health Association of Nigeria.
The college then merged the programme with the Department of Environmental Health, leading to a demand for an additional “N65,000 from each student for index registration,” on top of the “N30,000 already paid.”
In response to the allegations of extortion, the students resorted to violent actions, including “stoning vehicles and setting the provost’s residence on fire.”
Several staff members fled before security personnel arrived.
The provost, Saidu-Sauwa, described the allegations as “fictitious, baseless and mischievous,” denying any involvement in extorting students.
He stated that the college uses a “Single Treasury Account” where all funds are deposited, and “no one has access to the account, including me.”
He further claimed that the protest was fueled by an anonymous source attempting to discredit the college, urging students and staff to “exercise restraint” while the cause of the unrest is fully investigated.
Following the intervention of security agencies, normalcy has returned to the college.
The Kebbi State Police Command indicated that more details will be provided after a report from the Divisional Police Officer in Jega is available.
