Students at the College of Health Sciences and Technology in Jega, Kebbi State, have set fire to the residence of the Provost, Alhaji Haruna Saidu-Sauwa, and vandalised his vehicle during a violent protest.
The unrest was reportedly sparked by allegations that the college management extorted N23 million from students for index registration.
A source within the college, who spoke with our correspondent, said the controversy stemmed from a newly introduced Public Health programme, which was initially affiliated with Reproductive Health and the Public Health Association of Nigeria.
The source explained that the college merged the programme with the Environmental Health department to secure certification, leading to a demand for an additional N65,000 from each student for index registration, in addition to the N30,000 already paid.
Accusing the management of extortion, the students responded violently by stoning vehicles and setting the provost’s residence on fire.
Some members of the college staff fled the scene in fear before security personnel arrived.
Meanwhile, the Provost of the school, Haruna Saidu-Sauwa, while addressing newsmen, refuted the allegations, describing them as fictitious, baseless, and mischievous. He denied claims that he had convinced a certain body in Oyo State to extort students of his college to the tune of N23 million.
He also rejected the allegation that a new course had been introduced, resulting in additional payments from students, calling it a figment of the imagination of those spreading the story.
To further dismiss the claim, he clarified that every student admitted to the college was issued an offer letter, which clearly stipulated the duration and type of course. “How can one expect a diploma when their admission letter reads certificate?” he questioned.
“The said publications relied on an unknown source who presented their
own version of the story. I challenge that person to come forward with evidence to substantiate the allegations of student extortion and course duplication,” he stated.
He categorically denied any involvement, either by himself or the school management, in the alleged course duplications and extortion.
“Our school operates a Treasury Single Account where all funds are paid, and no one, including myself, has access to it,” he added.
Saidu-Sauwa claimed that the protest was instigated by the same anonymous source, accusing newspapers of failing to provide balanced reporting and instead rushing to satisfy their “paymasters, who have been working tirelessly to undermine the college with outrageous and untrue allegations.”
He further urged both students and staff to exercise restraint until the true cause of the unrest is uncovered.
“Our position remains that we know nothing about the claims and allegations made by the unknown source. We are thankful no one was harmed, and we are working with security personnel to identify the organisers of the protest, which damaged my personal vehicle and other college property. We distance ourselves from the allegations reported by the newspapers,” he said.
Meanwhile, calm has returned to the college after the intervention of security agencies.
Reacting to the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the Kebbi Police Command, SP Nafiu Abubakar, stated that further details would be provided once the Divisional Police Officer in Jega submits a report.
The college’s mission to produce skilled healthcare professionals is now under scrutiny as the ongoing crisis raises concerns about its commitment to ethical standards.
