The Student Union Government (SUG) of Kwara State Polytechnic has condemned what it described as unwarranted police brutality against students during a peaceful protest while demanding the immediate and permanent discontinuation of the use of the institution’s campus as a temporary National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp.
Led by its president, Maruf Ibrahim (Analysis), the union made the call while addressing a press conference on Thursday, January 22, 2026, describing the situation as a “human crisis” caused by administrative negligence and what it termed a lack of concern for student welfare.
According to the union, the decision to host the NYSC orientation camp, following security challenges at the permanent site in Yikpata, has evolved from a temporary arrangement into a major crisis for students. It is alleged that students who had paid for campus accommodation were forcefully evicted to make way for corps members.
The SUG further stated that the declaration of a sudden three-week break to facilitate the camp took students by surprise, coming shortly after the Christmas holiday. The union said many students, especially those from distant states, were left stranded without accommodation or funds to return home.
“What we are experiencing now is not just an administrative issue; it is a human one. Our studies have been disrupted, our accommodation taken away, our safety threatened, and our voices ignored,” Ibrahim said.
The union recounted that it had made repeated attempts to resolve the matter through dialogue, including formal letters written on December 8, 2025, and January 18, 2026, but received no response from the relevant authorities.
According to the SUG, the peaceful protest that followed was met with a heavy security presence, including the deployment of armoured vehicles against unarmed students. The union alleged that tear gas canisters were fired into residential areas, causing panic and injuries.
It also claimed that the SUG secretariat was not spared during the security operation.
In its concluding remarks, the union demanded a permanent end to the use of the polytechnic as an NYSC orientation camp and called for assurances that students’ property in evacuated hostels would be adequately protected.
The SUG also urged the institution’s management to demonstrate a clear commitment to prioritising student welfare over administrative convenience.
The union appealed to the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, the Director-General of the NYSC, and the Inspector-General of Police, as well as the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), to intervene urgently before the situation escalates further.
