Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has suspended the Rector of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Engr. Dr. Abdul Jimoh Mohammed, following a students’ protest that disrupted academic activities at the institution.
The suspension, which takes immediate effect, was announced in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu. The governor also approved the constitution of a three-member committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the protest and the role played by the management of the polytechnic.
According to the statement, the committee is chaired by the Kwara State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Senior Ibrahim Sulyman. Other members include the Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Nafisat Buge, and the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare, Dr. Mrs. Mercy Olufunke Shittu. The committee has been given a two-week deadline to submit its findings to the governor.
As part of interim measures, the most senior deputy rector has been directed to assume leadership of the institution in an acting capacity, pending the outcome of the investigation.
The protest, which reportedly led to the intervention of security operatives, was triggered by students’ opposition to the relocation of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp to the polytechnic campus. Students had blocked the institution’s main gate, citing concerns over overcrowding and the disruption of ongoing academic activities.
The incident has since drawn public attention to broader issues surrounding student welfare,and institutional management within tertiary institutions in the state.