Nigerian Army Personnel Disrupt AAUA Students' Protest In Ondo Over Prolonged Strike

Some personnel of the Nigerian Army were on Thursday deployed to disperse a peaceful protest staged by students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), who barricaded major roads to demand an immediate end to the ongoing industrial action in the institution.

The students gathered to voice their frustration over the paralysis of academic activities caused by the strike involving the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Joint Action Committee (JAC)—comprising SSANU, NASU, and NAAT—across state-owned tertiary institutions in Ondo State.

Video clips from the scene seen by SaharaReporters, showed armed soldiers in camouflage fatigue uniforms pursuing, scattering students down thoroughfares around the campus vicinity.

Despite the presence of military patrol vehicles, crowds of students stood their ground, raising placards with inscriptions such as "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH" to demand the immediate implementation of union agreements and the payment of outstanding salary arrears.

SaharaReporters could not independently ascertain whether any student was injured or arrested during the confrontation.

However, reacting to the military intervention, the 18th General Secretary of the AAUA Students' Union, Tolulope Adeyefa, condemned the deployment of armed personnel against peaceful student demonstrators in a series of posts on his official X handle.

"The report that officers of the Nigerian Army disrupted the peaceful protest by students of AAUA earlier today against the continued failure of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to end the prolonged ASUU strike in the university is very condemnable," Adeyefa stated.

Adeyefa, who shared video clips showing military personnel confronting the protesters, commended the students for resisting intimidation while calling on the state government to address the demands of the striking unions rather than resorting to force.

"For a university currently under ASUU, SSANU, NASU, and NAAT combined industrial action, the best response to the peaceful protest should rather be that the Ondo State Government ends the strike now," he added.

"Kudos to the protesting students for standing their ground against the force. I hope Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa yields to the students’ demands and ends the strike without further delay so that they can return to their classes," he expressed.

The development comes amidst growing industrial unrest across tertiary institutions in Ondo State, with student leaders urging Governor Aiyedatiwa to urgently engage the unions and restore academic stability.