Controversy is trailing the reported arrest of a University of Ilesa, Ilesa, Osun State, UNILESA, graduate for protesting against alleged delay in mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC.
The development has prompted reactions from a students’ body and a rebuttal from the institution’s management.
The graduate, identified as Adedoyin Temitope, also known as Matuwo or Aregbe, was reportedly arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Police after staging a protest over his exclusion from the NYSC mobilisation list.
A source familiar with the incident said Temitope, described as a Geography graduate, had waited for over two years to be mobilised despite completing his academic programme.
“He graduated over two years ago, when some of his mates have finished their NYSC programme,” the source stated.
The source attributed the delay to discrepancies in the graduate’s registration details with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.
“The excuses the school management gave him was that his JAMB registration comprises three alphabets against the widely known two alphabets,” the source added.
It was alleged that the situation escalated after the institution informed him that he could neither be mobilised for service nor be issued an exemption letter.
According to the source, Temitope returned to the campus to press his demands and allegedly picketed the university’s Senate building to draw attention to his case.
“In that regard, he locked down the Senate building as a means to get the attention of the management after exhausting all peaceful means,” the source said.
The protest reportedly led to his arrest after authorities allegedly contacted the police, with claims that he was subsequently transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Osogbo.
The development drew criticism from the National Association of University Students, NAUS, which condemned the arrest and alleged maltreatment of the graduate.
In a statement signed by its Osun State Chairman, Comrade Adeleke Samson, the students’ body described the incident as intimidation, stating, “No student should be subjected to violence for peacefully demanding their rights.”
The association called on the university management and its Vice Chancellor, Professor Taiwo Asaolu, to investigate the matter and facilitate the graduate’s mobilisation without further delay.
It also urged relevant authorities to intervene, warning that further action could be taken if the issue remained unresolved.
However, the university management refuted reports surrounding the incident, describing them as inaccurate and misleading.
In a statement issued by its Registrar, Funso Ojo, the institution said it had yet to graduate its first set of students, noting that its pioneer cohort admitted in 2023 were still in their third year.
The university clarified that the individual referenced completed a programme under the defunct Osun State College of Education, Ilesa, in affiliation with the University of Ibadan prior to the establishment of the University of Ilesa.
It added that “issues relating to the individual’s NYSC mobilisation were linked to admission regularisation with JAMB, a process it said was not directly under its control”.
The institution maintained that it had been engaging relevant stakeholders through its Student Affairs Division to provide guidance towards resolving the matter.
