Osun poly council reviews 27 students’ expulsion

The Governing Council of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State, has set up a committee that would look into the circumstances surrounding the expulsion of about 27 students of the institution.

The affected students were recently expelled by the institution for allegedly engaging in a violent protest, during which property on campus were vandalised.

The council said recommendations of the committee, that had 48 hours to carry out the assignment, would be relied on to determine whether the affected students would be recalled or not.

It was earlier reported that the management of the polytechnic announced the expulsion of 27 students following their alleged role in a protest that occured on campus on Thursday, May 9, during which property were vandalised.

Some students of the polytechnic, said to be displeased with the arrest of some of their colleagues living in Owode, a community near Ede, by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission during a night raid, had allegedly stormed the campus and attacked the Staff Club of the polytechnic, where several vehicles were reportedly damaged.

Speaking with journalists after the first council meeting of the newly inaugurated Governing Council of the polytechnic in Ede on Wednesday, its chairman, Taiwo Olaiya, explained that the council also resolved to address issue of pending promotions for staff members.

He said, “After lots of pleas from people concerning this case, we have resolved to call the students to come forward and state their own side of the story.

“A committee has been set up and the committee is to report back in the next 48 hours. Once we have the report of the committee, we will know how best to tackle the issue.

“Also, the committee has resolved to fast-track the issue of pending promotions of our staff, and we are ready to take care of issues affecting both the students and staff.

“We also intend to breach the gap between the host community and the school. We want to leave a rancour-free polytechnic by the time our tenure expires.”