April 30, 2024
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has charged the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Police Service Commission to establish and inaugurate the Police-Student Relations Forum (PSRF) across campuses nationwide.
The students’ body indicated that the creation of such forum and making it effective would greatly strengthen student-police relations, not only on campuses and the host communities, but in the country at large.
The Clerk of the Senate of NANS, Mr. Uthman Oladimeji, stated this shortly after he visited students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology(LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, who were allegedly brutalised by the police recently.
He noted that the incident did not only leave some students of the institution injured, but also one of the serving National Youth Service Corps members dead.
Oladimeji said the association totally frowned at the incident as it was according to him, preventable.
He explained in a statement on Monday, that recognising the paramount importance of safety and a secure school environment in the country had necessitated NANS to call for the police-student forum across campuses.
Oladimeji noted though, such partnership should also be extended to other government security agencies, he posited that of the police was most important because it was the closest to the citizens.
According to him, the establishment of such a forum would serve as a veritable platform for mutual communication, dialogue and understanding between the police and students.
The forum, Oladimeji said would also jointly address security concerns on and around campuses by developing strategies to guarantee safety of students and school workers as well as people of their host communities.
By this, he pointed out, the security burden on the police would be significantly reduced and campuses and their host communities would also enjoy a peaceful atmosphere.
Oladimeji said it was in the atmosphere of peace that real learning could take place.
