UNIBEN Students Stranded As Edo State Security Network Shuts School Gate

Students of the University of Benin and Ekosodin residents were, on Monday the 6th of September 2021, left stranded and unable to exit the Campus through a popular School gate called the ‘Ekosodin gate,’ forcing them to trek for minutes to access the university through the boundary road.

This is as a result of the shutting of the ‘Back Gate’ by the Ekosodin branch of the Edo State Security Network operatives, a vigilante group, to work out modalities in solving brewing chaos between suspected cultists and the security personnel.

Aside from shutting the gate, the local security outfit also halted the movement of commercial vehicles to convey students on the 20-minutes-walk road, a decision frowned at by affected students and other members of the community who were set for their daily activities.

One of the Security Officers, who pleaded anonymity said they are doing this to protect the lives and property of residents and as well as a sign of protest against the cultists.

“Cultists, who called themselves NANS, are the cause of this and we can’t continue to contain their excesses. They have been tormenting the community for a very long time and we feel this is the time to put to an end [to it].”

“As spearheaded by their leader called ‘Javu’, they attacked the community yesterday night (Sunday) with over 100 of their members to attack us, but we were able to stop them.”

“As it stands, we are ready to face them one-on-one till everything is settled, during their previous attacks, they shot our leader, the “Okhale of Ekosodin”, killed one of our members and now they want to come back and invade and he community, we won’t take that any longer.”

“NANS has its secretariat inside the Campus and not outside the campus, Ekosodin is not owned by University of Benin, hence they can’t in the name of NANS be constituting nuisance in the community.”

“We are waiting for the VC to come so that we can together fashion out a way to curb this high-handedness of the so-called NANS in disguise.”

Ekosodin is a popular rural community situated in Ovia North-East local government of Edo State and houses about 45% of University of Benin students.