Two students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, have been arrested by the police for allegedly conspiring to drug and rape a 20-year-old female undergraduate of the institution.

The spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, Olusola Ayanlade, announced this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Akure, the state capital.

According to him, preliminary investigations showed that the victim was invited to the residence of her long-time friend, 19-year-old Queen Sodo, also a student of the Ondo varsity.

“Trusting in the longevity of their friendship, which began in secondary school and continued into university, the victim accepted a drink provided by her friend, which was later found to have been laced with drugs, causing her to lose consciousness,” the statement read.

Ayanlade said once the victim became incapacitated, Sodo allegedly stepped out of the room, summoned her male co-conspirator and kept watch while the act was being carried out.

He added that a neighbour became suspicious after hearing unusual and inconsistent noises coming from the room and immediately raised the alarm.

“The victim was subsequently rescued by a neighbour who noticed the strange noise,” he stated. “She was found naked, unconscious and in a compromising position with the arrested male suspect, and was immediately taken for urgent medical attention.”

Ayanlade said the victim was later referred to a specialist hospital for comprehensive treatment and was currently recuperating.

He further noted that the suspects had confessed to their involvement and roles in the crime. Exhibits recovered from the scene included the bottle of the drug-laced drink identified by both the suspects and the victim.

The police spokesman added that the suspects were being held in lawful custody and would be transferred to the Gender Desk Office in Akure for further discreet investigation and prosecution.

Ayanlade assured residents that the command remained committed to tracking down criminal elements in the state and ensuring they face the full weight of the law.

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Agara disclosed this on Tuesday when he received the Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr. Taofeek Abdul-Hameed, in his office in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

He said the agreement aligned with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Employment Initiative, aimed at training and empowering Nigerian youths to acquire skills and become self-reliant.

“NDE and our supervising Ministry of Labour are poised to execute the policy of the Federal Government under the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to train and empower Nigerian youth to learn a skill and become self-reliant and even employers of labour,” Agara said.

He commended the Polytechnic’s management for seeking collaboration with the NDE, saying, “The centre was released to you before, but I said that it is better we sign an MoU and meet virtually and now physically towards nation-building.”

The Rector, Abdul-Hameed, in his remarks, expressed appreciation to the NDE for granting the Polytechnic access to the training centre.

He said, “When former President Muhammadu Buhari established the Polytechnic in 2021, we were informed that we could write to the NDE to use its Skills Acquisition Centre in Ayede.

“We wrote during the administration of the former DG, but this DG, Honourable Silas Agara, engaged us in a virtual meeting until we all democratically agreed to the conditions for the MoU.”

The Rector, who spoke on behalf of the Governing Board Chairman, Hon. Yakubu Datti, and the institution’s management, staff, and students, said the gesture would go a long way in preparing students for future self-employment.

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On Tuesday, the UK Home Office said that international students would no longer be able to bring family members with them starting 2024.

The UK also said overseas students would be stopped from switching from the student visa route to a work visa until their studies have been completed.

But in a statement on Tuesday, the UK International (UUK) – a body of universities across the UK – said the move was a threat to the country’s global success as a top destination for international talent and needed to be considered very carefully.

Specifically, the body of universities said the development will worsen their financial pressure in the United Kingdom.

According to the UUK director, Jamie Arrowsmith, foreign students contributed largely to the economy. Arrowsmith stated that UK nationals had a wide acceptance of international students.

“International students make an invaluable contribution to our universities and to the UK’s economy. Building on the government’s explicit commitments and ambitions, which were clearly set out in the international education strategy, we have seen significant growth since 2019,” Arrowsmith said in a statement.

“Our research shows that international students make a huge economic contribution to the UK, with a single cohort delivering a total benefit of £41.9 billion.

“We also know that the public is overwhelmingly supportive of the international students we attract – just nine percent of people think we should be discouraging international students from choosing the UK.”

While Arrowsmith said he understood the impact an unchecked influx may be having in some areas, he asked the government to explore other ways of curbing immigration that would not cripple an already weakened financial situation for the universities.

“While the vast majority of students will be unaffected by proposals that limit the ability to be accompanied by dependents, more information is needed on the programmes that are in scope before a proper assessment of the impact can be made.

“We, therefore, urge the government to work with the sector to limit and monitor the impact on particular groups of students – and on universities, which are already under serious financial pressures. The review process that has been announced must consider these issues.”

:Ultimately, our collective aim must be to ensure that international students who choose the UK can be confident that they are welcome here, that their contribution is valued, and that the terms on which they have made decisions remain stable. Anything that threatens to affect the UK’s global success as a top destination for international talent needs to be considered very carefully,” the statement added.

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The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) mission is to protect America from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration that threaten national security and public safety. Securing our nation’s borders and safeguarding the integrity of our immigration system is a primary focus of ICE officers and agents throughout the country. For more information, visit https://www.ice.gov/.
Student and Exchange Visitor Program

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) program that administers the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a web-based system for maintaining information on nonimmigrants (and their dependents) whose primary reason for coming to the United States is to be students and/or exchange visitors in the United States as well as on SEVP-certified schools. It ensures that government agencies have essential data related to nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors to preserve national security. SEVP provides approval and oversight to schools authorized to enroll F and M nonimmigrant students and gives guidance to both schools and students about the requirements for maintaining their status. The Department of State manages Exchange Visitor Programs (called BridgeUSA), nonimmigrant exchange visitors in the J visa classification and their dependents. Both SEVP and BridgeUSA use SEVIS to track and monitor schools; exchange visitor programs; and F, M and J nonimmigrants while they visit the United States and participate in the U.S. education system.

To contact the SEVP Response Center, please email SEVP@ice.dhs.gov any time or call 1-800-892-4829, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET, except Federal holidays.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security maintains Study in the States, a comprehensive free government resource that explains the rules and regulations governing the nonimmigrant student process in the United States including the student visa process. Get the latest COVID-19 news, SEVP updates, and guidance for students and schools through the Study in the States blog. On social media, follow Study in the States on Facebook and Twitter.
U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES (USCIS)

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the government agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States. USCIS was founded to enhance the security and efficiency of national immigration services by focusing exclusively on the administration of benefit applications. For more information, visit https://www.uscis.gov/.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has published additional online resources on uscis.gov to provide an overview of some of the temporary and permanent pathways for noncitizens to work in the United States in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This guide also highlights some of the most important considerations for STEM professionals who want to work in the United States.

Options for Noncitizen STEM Professionals to Work in the United States
Nonimmigrant Pathways for STEM Employment in the United States
Immigrant Pathways for STEM Employment in the United States

CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION (CBP)

Students wishing to check the status of their I-94 should visit this page on the Customs and Border Control website.

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As part of ICE, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) examines, deters and interdicts threats arising from the movement of people and goods into and out of the United States. With respect to international students, HSI established ICE’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and the web-based Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) to collect, maintain and analyze information so that only legitimate nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors gain entry to the United States.

School Fraud

HSI is committed to safeguarding the integrity of our nation’s legal immigration system against fraud and exploitation. Successful partnerships between HSI and local school communities expose fraud that may compromise national security. HSI’s collaboration with the school community may prevent individuals posing as students from fraudulently obtaining or maintaining student status.

Partnerships Benefit All

Information sharing between HSI, schools and students has enhanced strategies for identifying and prosecuting unlawful activity, and has improved schools’ management of programs and prevention of students from falling out of status. HSI’s investigation of noncompliant schools upholds the integrity of legitimate schools and programs.

How You can Help

Foreign nationals may view a student visa as a means of immigrating rather than achieving an academic goal. As a school official, you have the responsibility to ensure that the foreign students you enroll intend to be productive students. You may also help identify situations before they become national security concerns.

To help ICE prevent criminal exploitation of SEVP, and to improve communication with local HSI special agents, you can assist in identifying students or school officials who intend to harm the United States or its people. If you become suspicious of a school or student’s actions, call your local ICE office.

To report exploitation of student visa programs, contact your local HSI special agent or call 1-866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347- 2423). More information is available at www.ice.gov.

To report national vulnerabilities or national security concerns, contact ICE’s Counterterrorism and Criminal Exploitation Unit at CTCEU@ice.dhs.gov.

Click here for more: educationusa

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The commissioner also added that eight police vans were damaged in the clash. It was gathered that the students occupied the Ibadan-Abeokuta road as early as 6:30 am, blocking the main road linking Oyo and Ogun states, with road users stranded as both commercial and private vehicles were forced to take alternative routes to their destination. The Provost, as learnt invited the police when the students blocked the main road.

It was gathered that the students were protesting against the school management, while specifically calling for the removal of the Provost of the school, Dr. Babajide Adenekan, following the disagreement between Adenekan and members of the school’s Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, Non Academic Staff Union and the Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions.

The issue had been on for more than one year, a lecturer in the school who confided in journalists revealed

In her words, “there has been clash between the provost and lecturers of the school. Some lecturers have been suspended and reinstated while some claimed their allowances were withheld by the provost illegally. The claims are many.

“But this time, the students were expressing their grievances over the administrative style of the provost. They are claiming that the style of the provost triggered several strikes and unnecessary delay in the school’s academic calendar. They are also calling for the removal of the provost.”

According to the students, the police shot at them during the protest with some of them sustaining gunshot injuries. They also added that a lecturer was injured in the clash.

The police had arrested five students for their involvement in the fracas, just as Odude confirmed that there had been several meetings between the school authority, the students and the police on how to resolve the unending crisis in the school.

“It has been an off and on situation. We have been on this for the past six months meeting them and trying to resolve the issue. We have met the students’ union leaders and the school authority.

“We told the students that they should limit their union activities within the school because once you deprive others the use of public facility, you are against the law. Today (Monday), they blocked the main road during protest and we sent police there but they became violent and attacked the policemen.

“Four of them were injured and they are now in hospital. Eight police vans were destroyed too. We have to use force to push them back into the school. If you are students, it does not give you the liberty to break laws. Those who were arrested will be charged to court after due investigation”, the commissioner submitted.

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Asim Omer, who was studying at Khartoum University, was arrested in December 2016 and charged with killing the policeman after hundreds of students clashed with security forces at the campus on the banks of the Blue Nile in April of that year.

Last month, the court found Omer guilty, and on Sunday sentenced him to be hanged.

“The judge sentenced Asim Omer to be hanged to death after finding him guilty of killing a policeman,” defence lawyer Mohamed Arabi told AFP, adding that he would appeal.

After sentencing, during which AFP was unable to gain access to the courtroom, police fired tear gas to disperse a protest by students gathered outside the court.

The protests relocated to areas in and around Khartoum University, with those demonstrations also dispersed by the same means.

The opposition Popular Congress Party, of which Omer is a member, rejected the court’s ruling.

“The sentencing of Asim Omer is illegal because the judge didn’t have full evidence to convict him,” the party said in a statement.

“We will continue our fight in the higher court and all alternatives are open to us to save his life.”

Students at Khartoum University demonstrated several times last year against an alleged plan to sell off buildings belonging to the institution.

The government denied the charge, and police often resorted to firing tear gas.

Sunday’s ruling “definitely affects the image of the country and the image of the judiciary”, said prominent human rights activist Mudawi Ibrahim Adam.

In late 2016, sporadic anti-government rallies were staged in Khartoum after the government raised fuel prices.

The demonstrations were swiftly broken up by security forces, and dozens of opposition leaders and activists like Ibrahim Adam were arrested.

Adam was released last month under a presidential pardon.

The bloodiest crackdown on protesters came in September 2013, when dozens of demonstrators were killed during anti-austerity rallies.

Thousands of people took to the streets of Khartoum and other regions calling for the downfall of President Omar al-Bashir’s regime, also after fuel subsidies were slashed.

Amnesty International said at the time that about 200 people were killed, hundreds wounded and more than 800 arrested. The government gave a toll of less than 100 dead.

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ASUU President, Biodun Ogunyemi, said all means of negotiation had been exploited before the decision on an indefinite strike action was reached.

The grouse of the university teachers are as follows: The inability of the Federal Government to implement some of the issues contained in a 2009 agreement it had with ASUU as well as payments of allowances.

The lecturers have complained of poor funding of universities, part-payment of salaries of lecturers and the kidnap of two lecturers of the University of Maiduguri by the Boko Haram.

For the umpteenth time, our education sector has been thrown into another avoidable industrial action

It is against this background that Nigerians condemns the levity with which federal government handled the numerous agreements it had reached with the union, and failing to implement the agreement.

It is obvious that the federal government have not proved to be honorable in ensuring the faithful implementation of the agreements they entered with the academics since 2009. This has engendered a lack of trust and confidence of the scholars in the government. This latest strike action will disrupt the academic calendar of the affected public tertiary institutions.

With this development, many final year students who are supposed to graduate this year may not be able to do so. The ripple effect of this is that with delayed graduation, medical students who should go for their housemanship; law students who should go for their law school programme and the generality of other students who should be mobilised for their mandatory one-year national service scheme would also have theirs postponed.

In the long run, it is the students’ destinies that are generally being manipulated with these endless industrial actions.

Many of these students would now have time to fully engage in social vices such as prostitution, cultism, kidnapping, armed robbery, fraud and many others to while away time as well as make illicit money.

It will be difficult for many of them to seek proper legitimate job as they are not certain when their lecturers will call off their strike; more so, they have no meaningful qualifications to seek full employment.

The disruption of studies of the students will also have negative psychological impact on them. By the time the strike is over, many of the students would most likely have forgotten what they were taught before the unwarranted break.

Is this how we want to continue to frame the future generations of this country?

From the foregoing, it is pertinent to appeal to federal government to implement the dictates of the 2009 agreement it entered with the academic union. Government should also quickly consider the issues of poor funding of universities, part-payment of salaries of lecturers and the kidnap of two lecturers of the University of Maiduguri by the Boko Haram which had led to the strike action. Nigeria’s education sector needs to be properly funded given the primacy role the sector plays in human capital development.

Furthermore, Nigerians appeal to members of the academic staff union to soft pedal on their demands, particularly the ‘payment of allowance’. Asking for payments of allowances during recession may not seem right.

The union should give the government more time, and the benefit of the doubt by going back to work in the interest of their suffering students. Let’s save our tottering education sector from the imminent total collapse.

By Gbenga Odunsi

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As a fact, Nigeria has the unwholesome history of having the tyrants and dictators as university managers. These administrators are used to the brutal and diabolical repression of the students and workers legitimate aspirations to better living. Right from the protests and demonstrations against the Anglo -Nigeria defence pact of 1963 through the serial fuel price hikes of the 1990s and 2000s to the unacceptable hike in tuition of the present era, the students and their representatives have always been persecuted in Nigeria by their respective management authorities in their schools.

There has never been any improvement. The dire consequences of such highhandedness on the parts of the school managers and their police collaborators are, truncation of the academic careers of many brilliant and promising students, maiming of many student’s lives as a result of police brutality in forms of severe beating and torture among others. Where does this lead us to?

The University of Ibadan (UI) episode is analogous to a situation whereby mountain is being made out of a mole hill. It is the right of the students to have the Identity (I.D) Cards which they paid
for. Most of the students who paid for same have now graduated from the citadel of learning without having the cards. They don’t need it again. Where is their money?

Yes, the students embarked on peaceful protest to express their indignation against the ineptitude and non -transparency of the university management to the public glare. Closure and postponement of their school and scheduled examinations should not be the panacea.

Hence, it is up to the government, enlarged University’s Governing Council and other relevant agencies to prevail on the Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Idowu Olayinka to retrace his steps today. The university must be opened and the suspended students reinstated fortwith.

Akeem Adebiyi writes from Ibadan.

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