Olu Samuel, Lokoja

The joint security team of Kogi State Polytechnic Lokoja, on Tuesday, 16th July, 2024, arrested three (3) students of the institution and five (5) others suspected to be members of secret society and hard drug peddlers.

The arrests were made during the ongoing second semester examination for 2023/2024 academic session.

A statement issued on Wednesday by the Director, Public Relations and Protocol of the Polytechnic, Omale Uredo listed the students apprehended who are all of HND II in the Department of Business Administration to include:
Ajayi Oluwaseun Oladipo (Matric No.2022/HND/BUS/275), Isenre Elijah Ayomide (Matric No.2022/HND/BUS/146) and Omonijo Sunday (Matric. No2022/HND/BUS/181).

The arrested five (5) non-students who are all from Ekiti State but based in Abuja are: Otitoju Christopher, Babatope Ayomide, Isaiah Babatunde, Shina Ayodeji and Makinde Olalekan.

“The arrest of the suspects was as a result of proactive measures put in place by the Management of the institution to checkmate infiltration of cultists and other outlawed groups and individuals who were reported to be planning to enter the campus with guns and other dangerous weapons in connivance with some cyber-crime suspects popularly known as yahoo yahoo”. She said.

She said”their intent, it was gathered, was to cause harms on their targets and commotion on the campus during the ongoing second semester examination.

This was in the guise of their end-of- examination graduation “celebration” rituals which the Management had earlier banned due to security concerns” she added.

According to her,in the build-up to the ongoing second semester examination, the Polytechnic Management got intelligence reports that some bad elements suspected to be into cyber crime, cultism and illicit drugs had perfected plan to import their members from other states and institutions to cause mayhem on the campus.

To prevent the occurrence, Management decided to intensify further security strategies by banning all forms of the end-of-the second semester examination on the campus in whatever guise.

Uredo said that the decision was duly communicated to the students through a circular issued by the Chief Security Officer, containing the outlawed activities during and after the examination.

“The circular was issued after a series of meetings with the Students Union Government (SUG), National Association of Kogi State Students (NAKOSS) and the Departmental Presidents to sensitise and caution the students to desist from any form of inimical behaviour during the examination for their own good.

The Polytechnic Management also took further steps with meetings and setting up of the Examination Security Management Committee with all Deans, Chief Security Officer (CSO), Students Representatives, the Chief Imam and the Polytechnic Chaplain as members, and mandated to devise security strategies against the planned infiltration by bad elements and ensure orderly conduct of examination.

In addition, the services of the security agencies such as the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC), and the Vigilante Group were sought and their personnel were deployed.

Meanwhilene students have been barred from using their cars and motorcycles beyond the designated car park on the campus during the examination.

Furthermore, all vehicles were thoroughly searched and more plain clothes security operatives were deployed to monitor movement of those that have no business on the campus during the examination.