OAU places ban on student leaders

The management of the Obafemi Awolowo University has slammed lengthy bans on the institution’s students union leaders, for allegedly threatening a professor.
The SUG leaders bagged between four and six semesters.
Those suspended are the president, Omotayo Akande; Secretary General, Oketooto Oluwaeun and the Public Relations Officer, Ojedokun Emmanuel.
Mr. Emmanuel is a 400-level student of International Relations and had just two months to graduate before his suspension.
The suspended students were accused of assaulting a professor, Y. K. Yusuf, in the institution.
It was gathered that trouble began when Emmanuel had gone into a class in company with some of his colleagues where the professor was delivering a lecture, desiring to make an announcement to the students, but the lecturer would have none of it and walked them out.
The union leaders, feeling insulted, reportedly went to the lecturer’s office at the university faculty of arts building and threatened to parade him round the campus if he failed to issue an apology to the students.
When the professor refused to do so, the SUG president was said to have sent a text message to the Vice Chancellor, declaring that the safety of the professor could no longer be guaranteed on campus if he failed to tender an apology for walking out officials of the Union of his class.
A panel setup by the school’s management to investigate the matter recommended that the students be suspended for three years.
Emmanuel confirmed that they had received the suspension letters, and called on the management to review its sanction.
“We have received the letters and plead with notable Nigerians to save Oketooto Oluwaseun, Omotayo Akande and myself,” Emmanuel said.
He denied ever threatening the safety of the professor, saying the university management was using that as an excuse for the suspension.
Oluwaseun and Emmanuel were suspended for four semesters respectively, while Akande was suspended for six semesters.