It was a tensed atmosphere at Cadet Base, in The Polytechnic, Ibadan, as the SUG president has reportedly ordered the immediate shut down of the force after repeated brutality.
Students of Mass Communication of the institution revolted against the force after one of their mates was brutalized.
According to eye witnesses, the undisclosed victim was heavily beaten and sprayed with tear gas by an officer of the force.
“We are freshers, we don’t know anything. They are harassing us, they are bullying us. Just last week, they harassed some of us with a dagger. Just this morning, one of our coursemates was punished. She was asked to do frog jump for a crime she can’t even pinpoint. Now, another one of ours has been heavily beaten with tear gas sprayed on him by one of the officers of the force. We can’t keep up with this, never!”- one of the protesters who pleaded to be anonymous clamoured.
However, The issue was reported to the Departmental President, Ayanboade, who took the matter to the Maintenance, where Cadets officers allegedly stormed to cause another uproar by physically challenging and engaging Ayanboade and other peaceful agents around.
This awful and inhumane act triggered the angered students of the department, who couldn’t hold their peace at the Maintenance post where different testimonies related to how cadet officers have always been brutalizing them had already dominated the air. The students in anger, dashed towards the base to vent their anger on the officers by beating them up and razing down their base.
However, due to the swift intervention of leaders of the department, and Maintenance officers on the ground, no casualties nor damage was recorded.
Arriving at the scene, the Student Union President, Comrade Abdul Azeez Adedeji Adedamola, took a look at the rooms in the base, where he found bottles of hard drinks before he visited the guardroom at the back of the base. The guardroom was said to have been a place where students are being allegedly and unlawfully detained.
While addressing the students, the president promised the students that the Cadet force won’t exist henceforth. He dispersed the crowd by promising them that the base will be remodelled into the public toilet or anything in favour of the entire students.
