The Student Union Government (SUG) of Kwara State Polytechnic has strongly condemned what it described as unwarranted police brutality against students during a peaceful demonstration. Led by President Maruf Ibrahim (Analysis), the union is demanding the immediate and permanent discontinuation of the use of the campus as a temporary National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, January 22, 2026, the SUG President characterized the recent escalation as a “human crisis” triggered by administrative negligence and a lack of empathy for student welfare.
According to the union, the decision to host the NYSC camp necessitated by security challenges at the permanent site in Yikpata has become a nightmare for the student body and has transitioned from a temporary inconvenience to a major crisis which led Students who paid for accommodation reportedly forced out to make room for corps members.
According to the body, the sudden three-week holiday was declared to facilitate the camp, catching students off-guard just after the Christmas break.
They added that many students, particularly those from distant states, were left stranded without shelter or funds for travel.
“What we are experiencing now is not just an administrative issue; it is a human one. Our studies have been disrupted, our accommodation taken away, our safety threatened, and our voices ignored, said the President.
The SUG detailed the events of the past week, noting that despite repeated attempts at dialogue through formal letters on December 8, 2025, and January 18, 2026, their concerns were ignored.
They added that subsequent peaceful demonstration was met with a heavy security presence with deployment of heavy security machinery against unarmed students.
Cannisters fired into living quarters, causing panic and injury, He added.
They further claimed that even their official headquarters was targeted during the crackdown.
In their final remarks, they demanded a permanent end to the use of the Polytechnic as an NYSC camp demanding guarantees that students’ property in the evacuated hostels remains safe.
They also requested commitment from the school management to prioritize student welfare over administrative convenience.
The body seized the medium to appeal to the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, the Director-General of NYSC, the Inspector-General of Police, and the leadership of NANS and NAPS to intervene with immediate effect before the issue deteriorated.