THE University of Benin (UNIBEN) was thrown into pandemonium Thursday, 2nd February, following a fracas between soldiers, students and the institution’s security personnel stationed around the school’s main gate.
Eyewitnesses say the incident resulted from soldiers who entered the university campus and began to use the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) platforms located close to the gate.
Eighteen-Eleven Media gathered that what later snowballed into a full-blown conflict started when a student was holding her phone, but the soldiers suspected her of recording them. They called a female soldier to beat up the student, but the university security intervened.
Infuriated by the action of the school security personnel, the soldiers accused them of interference. The situation escalated, with both sides becoming involved in a physical altercation.
Eyewitnesses reported that some persons sustained bodily injuries during the fracas.
Sources also say the soldiers threatened to abduct the students to an Army barrack, even as it was alleged that the soldiers called for reinforcement.
The university’s Chief of Staff succeeded in calming frayed nerves as he urged the students and everyone within the vicinity to go home, as the situation was tense.
The university has been shut even as the school authority moves to defuse the tense situation and ensure the safety of students, staff, and members of the community.
The university administration has issued a statement condemning the violence promising to cooperate with the authorities to bring those responsible to justice. The statement also reaffirmed the university’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of students, staff, and members of the community.