Tension and drama unfolded at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Thursday, June 5, 2025, as a group of students staged a protest during the visit of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who was invited to the campus to deliver a Distinguished Personality Lecture.
The lecture, held at the university’s Oduduwa Hall, was themed “Nigeria of Our Dreams,” and was meant to inspire students and attendees about the future of Nigeria. However, the event was briefly disrupted when two students, identified as Oladepo Joshua and Ejike Kelechi, carried out a peaceful protest inside the hall.
The protesting students displayed placards demanding compensation for victims of recent demolitions in the Federal Capital Territory, drawing immediate attention and causing a stir among the audience.
Security personnel quickly intervened, escorting the two students out of the hall to prevent the situation from escalating further. Eyewitness accounts described a tense atmosphere as some students expressed frustration and anger toward the protesters, nearly turning the event chaotic.
A student who wished to remain anonymous, identified only as Gift, shared: “They were in Oduduwa Hall for the event Wike came for. We presently don’t know their whereabouts,” expressing concern for the detained students’ safety amid fears of victimization.
Another eyewitness added: “I’m just getting to Floor 0. They were taken there along with security details attached to Wike. There was an attempt to remove them forcibly, but security operatives appealed to Wike’s security officials not to use force.”
In response to the unfolding incident, the university’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, dismissed rumors that the students were arrested, clarifying that they were only removed from the venue for their own safety.
Olarewaju stated, “Everybody has a right to protest, but minorities, microscopic minorities, should not disrupt what the overwhelming majority allows. They were not arrested; they were only escorted out of Oduduwa Hall. We wanted to prevent escalation especially since some of their colleagues were aggressively confronting them.”
He further explained, “When about 20 students descended on two protesters, things could have gotten out of hand, so security operatives decided to remove the two students for their protection.”
However, this official narrative has been met with criticism from various student groups and activists. The Alliance of Nigerian Students Against Neoliberal Attacks (ANSA) condemned what it described as the “arrest” of the protesting students and demanded their immediate release.
In a statement sent to The PUNCH, ANSA’s Deputy National Coordinator, Ikechukwu John, declared, “We demand the immediate and unconditional release of our comrades. We urge the Nigerian public, the Great Ife Students’ Union, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, other progressive unions, civil society groups, the media, and all defenders of justice to rise in condemnation of this repression.”
Similarly, the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) criticized the handling of the protest. Adaramoye Michael, the group’s National Mobilisation Officer, remarked, “The removal of those student activists is unacceptable and highlights the authoritarian climate on campuses today.”
Meanwhile, the Students’ Union of OAU has stated that they are still gathering more information about the incident. The union’s Public Relations Officer, Aka Daniel, said, “As of this time, I just heard rumours. I was not in attendance at the event and don’t have a detailed report yet.”
This incident raises concerns about freedom of expression and the right to protest on Nigerian university campuses, as well as the handling of dissent during high-profile visits and lectures.