Students at the College of Health Sciences and Technology in Jega, Kebbi State, staged a violent protest, setting fire to the residence of Provost Alhaji Haruna Saidu-Sauwa and vandalizing his vehicle over allegations of extortion.
The unrest was sparked by accusations that the college management collected N23 million from 250 graduating students as part of an index registration fee. Students claimed that a recent hike in fees, linked to the introduction of a new Public Health program, included an additional demand of N65,000 from each student on top of the already paid N30,000.
In reaction to the alleged extortion, the students resorted to throwing stones at vehicles and setting the provost's house ablaze. As tensions escalated, college staff evacuated the premises, prompting security forces to be called in to restore order.
Provost Saidu-Sauwa denied the allegations, describing them as "fictitious and baseless." He asserted that the college operates under a Single Treasury Account system to ensure transparency in financial matters and claimed the protests were driven by misinformation from unnamed sources with ulterior motives. He challenged the anonymous accuser to provide evidence for their claims and urged patience as the true cause of the unrest is investigated.
Saidu-Sauwa expressed relief that no injuries occurred during the incident and pledged to collaborate with security personnel to identify those responsible for the violence.
Following interventions from security agencies, normalcy has reportedly returned to the college. The Kebbi State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Nafiu Abubakar, confirmed that further details would be released after a report from the Divisional Police Officer in Jega