In a new development, it was discovered that Benue State University was again shut down by the students of the University over tuition fees. The students on Monday, May 21, 2018, reportedly blocked the main entrance of the institution and took over the Makurdi-Gboko road, this is as a result of the increment in the tuition fees of the institution.

As reported by Vanguard, the students took over the entrance of the institution in the early hours of Monday morning, chased away the security personnel in charge of the institution’s gates and also prevented any form of movement in and out of the school to show their discomfort with the new tuition fee arrangement.

A student who spoke to newsmen on condition of anonymity said that they needed to protest in other to resist the newly introduced tuition arrangement introduced by the management of the institution.

In his words, the student said, “How can the management of the university carry on as if they are not aware of the economic situation in the state and country, with the new policy the least fee payable in the school is N92,000 as against the former N56,000. Their action is the height of insensitivity.”

School Management Responds

In a statement released by the management of the institution through the Acting Registrar, Mrs Catherine Bur claimed that the protest was staged by miscreants and not students of the school.

The statement reads, “some group of miscreants parading themselves as students of the University, in the early hours of Monday, May 21 2018, took over, locked up and displaced the security manning the main gate of the University, bringing to a halt the flow of human and vehicular traffic into the University including Nursery and Primary School pupils for reasons yet to be ascertained.

“This action is particularly worrisome in view of the fact that the University is scheduled to commence accreditation of programmes by the National Universities Commission from Monday, May 21, 2018.

It will be recalled that earlier this year, a similar situation happened in which the school was locked down by students protesting against the decision of the school to disallow students who are yet to pay their tuition fee from sitting for their examination.

Tt was reported that the students also locked the two major gates leading to the school premises, singing solidarity songs when they protested against the school’s no tuition fee, no exam policy earlier this year.

It is unclear if the management of the school will yield to the demands of the students and reduce the tuition fee or if the students will be forced to accept the present tuition fee arrangement. Check back on Tuition.ng for more updates on the situation.