October 7: Student's Death vs violent protest vs Health Center vs Entrepreneurship center, School's Poultry vs school shut down vs Students' Union banned vs 20,000 Reparation fee in Ado Poly

_2 years ago, October 7, 2017

By: Olorungbotemi Tunde Bright 

The Federal Polytechnic , Ado Ekiti was on Sunday shut indefinitely following a violent protest by students over the death of two of them, only one was identified.

Vincent

Trouble began on the institution’s campus late Friday when two student reportedly complained of malaria.

They were said to have been rushed to the Polytechnic Health Centre for treatment, but their condition later became worse. They died in the early hours of Saturday, According to Punch Newspaper.

The Registrar of the institution, Mrs Sade Adediran, announced the immediate and indefinite closure of the school, Campus Reporters Media reports.

Adediran did not, however, confirm whether any student actually died at the Polytechnic Health Centre at that moment.

The statement warned that any student found on campus after the closure would be apprehended and made to face the consequences.

It was gathered from campus sources that the students on learning that their colleagues had died, quickly mobilised themselves, marched to the Health Centre and burnt it down.

Apart from also destroying some other property, the students blocked all roads leading to the institution preventing free movement of vehicles.

Students alleged that the only drug available at the health centre was paracetamol.

According to him, paracetamol was also given the two students who were taken to the centre, instead of being given effective malaria drugs or injection, NAN reports

Students Set School Clinic Ablaze During Protest Over Student's Death:

Ado Poly health center

Newsmen learned that the action of the aggrieved students followed the sudden death of two of their colleagues at the school's ill-equipped health clinic.

According to sources, the two students were both from the Department of Estate Management and died shortly they were administered some drugs at the clinic.

One of the deceased, Oluwafemi Vincent, who was a member of the Marshall said to have been rushed down to the school clinic following complains of a severe headache.

Vincent, a final year student who was admitted to the sick bed was said to have given up the ghost after he was transfered to hospital in town allegedly abandoned by the health workers at the clinic.

This, it was gathered, sparked an anger among the students who took laws into their hands to protest by razing down the school clinic.

"The students died due to negligence on the part of the health workers inside the clinic and we have been complaining about the lack of drugs in the health center.

Student union suspended following multimillion naira damage:

This was the case of Vincent Taiwo Oluwafemi, who was until his death, the Marshal Commander of the Polytechnic Road Safety Corps and an HND II Student of the Estate Management Department at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado – Ekiti. 

He died on Saturday, 7th October, 2017 due probably to careless negligence by close relatives who had him forcibly discharged against medical advice given by experts at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital.

Contrary to reports which went viral on the social media and a section of the press that two students died from malaria attack, the truth of the matter was that nothing of such happened one student of the Institution was reported dead. This was attributed as the cause of the violent demonstration by students, in the process of which various acts of criminal arson and willful destruction of public property were committed which preliminary report put at about half a billion Naira.

However, the truth of the matter was that a student of the Institution was reported dead after he had been forcibly discharged against medical advice at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado – Ekiti where he was referred to a day before the incident. 

The deceased student had reported ill at the NHIS-accredited Polytechnic’s Health Centre on Friday 6th October, 2017 and got stabilized after which he was referred to EKSUTH for further treatment.

Report from the Teaching Hospital indicated that on the morning of Saturday 7th October, 2017, the patient was forcibly discharged against medical advice without the knowledge of the Polytechnic’s Medical Team about the patient’s whereabouts until report of the guy’s death was broken on campus thus heralding the violent protest.

Thereafter the students went wild with all sorts of lies and burnt down the well-equipped NHIS Accredited Health Centre of the Institution’s, the Security Gate House, Signpost, the Institution’s Bakery as well as the Entrepreneurship and Demonstration Farms, including Poultry, Fishponds etc belonging to the Entrepreneurship Centre and the Departments of Agricultural Technology and Agricultural and Bio-Environmental Engineering and so on.

A staff of the Polytechnic, Mr. Niyi Olaiya who witnessed the drama leading to the patient’s being discharged against Medical advice at EKSUTH where he had taken his ailing father made the following lamentation on a whatsApp platform.

“If truly the student that died was the one that was forcibly discharged from EKSUTH, then there was no reason whatsoever for such reaction from our students. The said student was in the same ward with my father; we actually met him in the ward with a lady (a student I guess) and two male students. I didn't recognise them but the two male students recognised me, came to greet me and introduced themselves.

The boy (victim), was visibly in pains and the lady who was with him was so bitter, angry and upset with the doctors and nurses on call because, according to her 'the medical personnel did not attend to the patient well enough'. The lady was complaining bitterly and so confrontational with both doctors and nurses that security officers were asked to take her out of the ward. 

An older man, who I guess would be the brother of the deceased and the agitated lady asked for and both signed the undertaking that they were removing the victim contrary to medical advice of doctors.

However, it is noteworthy that one particular doctor was repeatedly warning the lady, the older man and the two male students that discharging the patient was a suicide mission but they refused to yield to his warnings. I equally appealed to the lady who was more vocal and determined to get the patient discharged to allow the boy continued with his treatment as he was on drip, being treated and observed according to the doctor. Unfortunately, they signed the document and took him away. The scene was so painful as he was losing blood coming out of his hand from where the drip was prematurely removed.

I learnt that students were on rampage occasioned by the death of student(s) and I was even sent the picture of the burnt health centre but didn't know the identity of the victim. It was this morning when the doctors and nurses were discussing the issue that they told us it was the student that was discharged against medical advice that died and led to the trouble in our school.

However, i want to state again that, IF truly the case of this particular student as witnessed by me was the reason behind this reaction of our students, then they were misinformed, misled and it is quite unfortunate!

The ultimate truth is that we are ALL going to die one way or the other, one day, suddenly, prematurely, at old age or whatever. But our actions or inactions will certainly be contributory factors (the percentage or ratio I can't express any precise opinion on) in determining how many days get credited to our sojourn on earth. 

Unfortunately, such actions or inactions were taken away from the deceased by his friends and brother”.

It was learnt that the deceased student was the Marshal Commander of the Road Safety Corps in the Polytechnic before his death but it was not clear at the time of this report where exactly he gave up the ghost since the Polytechnic is oblivious of his whereabouts after being forcibly taken away from the EKSUTH

In response to the carnage perpetrated by the students as well as the serious threat to lives and property, the Polytechnic Management promptly shut down the Institution asking all students to vacate the Campus latest by 10:00pm on Saturday, 7th October, 2017. 

The Management went further to hold an emergency combined Academic Board and Management Committee Meeting at 12:00noon on Sunday 8th October 2017 for situation review.

At the meeting the Director of Medical Services Dr. Olusiji Makinde confirmed that the Health Centre which has been in existence for over 35 years was not just well stocked with necessary equipment, facilities and personnel but also earned the NHIS Accreditation as a recognised NHIS Health Facility Provider. 

He added that contrary to negative reports that two students died at the Health Centre, there has never been any record suggesting death of any student in the Institution’s Health Centre for all the years the Polytechnic had existed.

He noted that the deceased neither died at the Health Centre of the Polytechnic nor at EKSUTH but in the hands of those who claim to love him and regretted painfully that perhaps he might not have died if he was not forcibly discharged against medical advice from EKSUTH where he had been referred a day earlier.

The Chief Security Officer of the Polytechnic Major Amos Faniyan, Director of the Polytechnic Entrepreneurship Centre Engr. A.A. Jimoh and Heads of affected Academic Department whose facilities such as Bakery, Fishery, Poultry, Demonstration Farms etc. were vandalized looted and damage all addressed the Academic Board Meeting with details of the damaged/vandalized and looted items.

Students to pay N20,000 reparation, swear good behaviour oath:

Exactly 32 days after students carried out violent protest and destroyed property worth millions, authorities of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti on Thursday ordered the reopening of the school as well as resumption of students earlier sent away on compulsory vacation.

Reports gathered that Registrar of the institution, Mrs. Folashade Adediran announced in a statement in Ado Ekiti that the decision to call for the students’ resumption was reached at an Emergency Meeting of the Academic Board held on Tuesday, 7th November, 2017 .

According to her, the Board considered issues relating to the Students’ rampage of Saturday, 7th October, 2017 and took decisions.

Resumption of all Students has been slated for Monday, 20th November, 2017, and that all Students including those with outstanding Carry-over Courses are to immediately pay a reparation fee of N20,000 only.

VAM Online News wish Vincent well in the blossom of God.

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