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LequteMan
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A N13m gift from Senator Godswill Akpabio has caused soldiers attached to Cross River state's security outfit to shoot three students in the state, Punch reports.
Two of the students are from the University of Calabar (UNICAL) and the other one is fromthe Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH).
They were shot during a protest staged to demand N13 million reportedly donated by Governor Ben Ayade and the Senate Minority Leader.
The duo reportedly donated the disputed sum at an event held to mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of Cross River State and detailed the state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr Asu Okang, to distribute the money to students mobilised to attend the event.
Okang, however, disappeared without disbursing the funds.
Angered by Okang’s continued refusal to distribute the largess, the students staged a protest on Saturday but were allegedly dispersed by soldiers with tear gas and live bullets.
“We learnt that it was the commissioner that called the state security adviser to disperse us by force. The commissioner had actually come with N1m for UNICAL students, N1m for corps members that were also mobilised, N500,000 for CRUTECH students and another N500,000 for students of the state School of Health Technology," a student said.
“But we felt that the amount was not what was announced. So, we sought to know where the balance was. That was how the trouble started,” Ikechukwu said.
On his part, Okang denied inviting security men to shoot the students. He explained that there was a delay in getting the promised money from the finance commissioner as a result of bureaucracy.
President of the Students Union at UNICAL, Anthony Afufu, said Okang was telling a lie and vowed to stage another protest.
Two of the students are from the University of Calabar (UNICAL) and the other one is fromthe Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH).
They were shot during a protest staged to demand N13 million reportedly donated by Governor Ben Ayade and the Senate Minority Leader.
The duo reportedly donated the disputed sum at an event held to mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of Cross River State and detailed the state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr Asu Okang, to distribute the money to students mobilised to attend the event.
Okang, however, disappeared without disbursing the funds.
Angered by Okang’s continued refusal to distribute the largess, the students staged a protest on Saturday but were allegedly dispersed by soldiers with tear gas and live bullets.
“We learnt that it was the commissioner that called the state security adviser to disperse us by force. The commissioner had actually come with N1m for UNICAL students, N1m for corps members that were also mobilised, N500,000 for CRUTECH students and another N500,000 for students of the state School of Health Technology," a student said.
“But we felt that the amount was not what was announced. So, we sought to know where the balance was. That was how the trouble started,” Ikechukwu said.
On his part, Okang denied inviting security men to shoot the students. He explained that there was a delay in getting the promised money from the finance commissioner as a result of bureaucracy.
President of the Students Union at UNICAL, Anthony Afufu, said Okang was telling a lie and vowed to stage another protest.
