BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
STUDENTS of the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, on Thursday, barricaded the Abakaliki Enugu Highway, following the death of a student in a stampede that occurred during a Computer Based Test in the insitution the previous day.
The protesting students barricaded the expressway to express their anger, and press home their demands, preventing human and vehicular movements for over two hours.
It took the intervention of the Deputy Governor of the state, Kelechi Igwe, who immediately went to the scene, to calm the students and open up the road.
Igwe told the students that he had noted their demands and assured that their grievances would be given immediate attention.
He advised them not to take laws into their hands, noting that the present administration was always sensitive to the yearnings and aspirations of the people, especially students.
The students, through their representatives, are asking the University Management to abolish the Computer Based Test, since they do not have enough facilities and space for such.
They are also calling for a total overhaul of the University management.
According to them, the last test led to stampede and alleged death of one student, while some students sustained varying degrees of injuries.
They attributed this to the allegation that the university management allotted only one small hall, which they said, was not well ventilated and had about 1000 laptops to serve over 10,000 students.
The Deputy Governor arrived the scene in company with the Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Francis Nwifuru; State Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Garba; Secretary to Ebonyi State Government, Kenneth Ugbala; Commissioner for Internal Security, Stanley Okoro Emegha; and Commissioner for Education, Onyebuchi Chima.
