A midnight raid by officers from the Special Anti-Cultism Squad (SACS) of the Nigeria Police Force, formerly known as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), has left several students of the Federal Polytechnic Oko in Anambra State arrested and others injured.
According to reports from Chronicles reporters, the incident occurred late Wednesday night when the officers raided a student hostel at the polytechnic. The officers, who were allegedly searching for suspects involved in theft, broke into students’ rooms while they were asleep, taking several of them into custody.
The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has since condemned the raid. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Vice President of NAPS for the South East Zone expressed strong disapproval of the officers’ actions. NAPS has called on the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State to immediately intervene and stop the harassment of students by these officers.
The student union warned that failure to cease the unjust treatment would lead to protests across the state. NAPS emphasized that such raids, especially those occurring at night, are unacceptable and urged authorities to ensure that the rights and dignity of students are upheld.
The statement read in part, “We, the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), representing over 20 million students across the nation, strongly condemn these unjust arrests and intimidation of students at Federal Polytechnic Oko. These actions, especially when they happen at late hours, are completely unacceptable.”
NAPS further stated, “We demand an end to these illegal raids and urge you to ensure that students’ rights are respected. If this harassment continues, we will have no choice but to organize mass protests involving media outlets to address this issue.”
The student body concluded by asserting that they could not stand by while their members face unjust treatment and vowed to take action if necessary.
For updates and further developments, join our WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VabITrvEAKW7DSkTfP0JN