The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has raised alarm that the Department of States Services (DSS) is planning to arrest them whenever they will embark on protest. The student body warned that its Association will not relent in protest if the secret police made attempt of keeping one of their member behind bars for protesting as a result of this alarm.
This were the statement made by Azeez Adeyemi , the spokes person of NANS in Abeokuta today Friday while addressing pressmen in reaction to the re-arrest of Omoyele Sowore by the DSS in Abuja.
Azeez said for any responsive government when it is up and doing, it should not be afraid of criticism.
In its statement which partly reads, “our attention has been called to an alarm raised by the Department of the State Security Services, through its spokesperson, Dr Peter Afunanya, over alleged plans by some unknown persons to instigate mass protest capable of causing anarchy and destabilising the country.”
Consequently, the DSS warned parents and heads of institutions to ensure that there wards and students under their custody do not turn themselves into nuisance.
However, the students alleged that the present administration is all out using the secret police to totally suppress the voice of the opposition who may wish go against any of its policy that is anti masses.
They added that as far as Nigerian Students is concerned they are known for holding a protest as a way of registering their displeasure to the government or in whatever demand they require the government to listen.
Azeez lamented that currently, Nigerian students are suffering and smiling at different capacity from poor infrastructure in the tertiary institutions to poor laboratories to mention few, saying now that the government dislikes protest, how can they make their problem known.
More so, “Continuous embarrassment of our students by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC; Excesses of the men of the Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS and the deplorable state of higher institutions infrastructure are all part of what is bothering the student, Azeez added.
Meanwhile, the student solicited with the security agencies to only give them protection whenever they plan to engage in protest but not to arrest them.