Forces Storm OAU Ahead of NUGA, Protests Among Students and Guests Arrive

Ahead of the 24th Nigerian University Games, NUGA, which is scheduled to be held at the Obafemi  Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, men and women of some security outfits have been deployed to the school in order to beef up security which would be much needed during the sporting events.

In the early hours of Tuesday 11th February, 2014, a large contingent of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps were already on ground, largely at the sport arena with a few parading the university campus.
Things however took a dramatic turn when hundreds of  men of the Nigerian Police Force (heavily armed mobile policemen inclusive) stormed the school and headed straight for the Obafemi Awolowo(popularly called AWO ) hall on the order of the university management to forcefully eject students from the halls of residence. Information has it that Awo was chosen as the first point of operation because of the particularly radical nature of students resident there. But the story did not go down in a negative for the "Awoites " as they did blocked every entrance into the hall and refused entry to any policeman or university staff who accompanied them. The drama went on "Awoites " singing the school's anthem and other anti-oppression songs.
Their argument and reason for their display however was not an unwillingness to leave the hall at that time or a refusal for it to be used as a lodging for NUGA participants, but that it was wrong for the university management to threaten them out of the hall with harmed men and they bent on showing that such moves were never going to work.
The school's chief security officer, Dr Paul Ogidi and other university staff there present later decided out of frustration to leave the hall with their police escorts and go to other halls instead.

Their next point of call was the Adekunle Fajuyi (popularly called FAJ ) hall. There, members of the school's security committee addressed the hall warden while the large force of policemen waited outside. The security committee members told the hall warden that they were there to let the police takeover the hall of residence for the period of NUGA so they can provide adequate security for the participants. The hall warden and other hall staff nevertheless argued that it would not be necessary to bring in policemen to the hall and all needed spaces for the expected athletes were ready. On that note, the military occupation of Faj hall was quietly repelled.

Later at night, the previously cut power supply was restored and the sport contingent for the University of Nigeria, Nsukka arrived, being the first visiting team at OAU NUGA 2014.