Students of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, yesterday brought academic activities to a standstill as they took over the Aba-Owerri road in protest over the alleged rape of three female students of the institution by policemen attached to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), in Aba.
This is even as the students also protested the non-accreditation of the Civil Engineering department of the institution.
Some of the placards displayed during the protest include; “Say no to rape”‘, “Sell this school and give us our money back”, among others.
The students of the Department of Civil Engineering lamented that they were being given certificates bearing Department of Building upon graduation and urged the Abia State government and the management of the polytechnic to expedite action to accredit the department to enable them to graduate with certificates bearing Civil Engineering.
On the alleged rape of students by RRS operatives, the students stated that three female students, residing at a Lodge, near the Aba North council headquarters, were raped and taken to an undisclosed hospital in the area.
The students lamented that some personnel of the RRS team had been sexually assaulting them at their lodge.
While addressing the protesting students, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Prof. Kalu Osonwa, explained that he got information that the RRS men were assaulting students.
He vowed to ensure that no student is sexually harassed and promised that the management of the polytechnic will look into the complaints, including the non-accreditation of the department of civil engineering.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Police Public Relations Officer, Abia State Command, Geoffrey Ogbonna, were unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report.
