Police and Students 1970-‘79

Adekunle Adepeju, a 2nd-year Agricultural Science Student of the University of Ibadan, was the first Student Victim of Police Shooting in Nigeria. He was killed on Monday February 1, 1971, during, a student protest on the University of Ibadan campus. https://twitter.com/yorubahistory/status/1207926351283531776

The students had been protesting irregularities in their catering service for some days. The university authorities in an unwise move invited the police into campus on that Monday. The students saw this as provocative and things got violent with stone throwing and teargas.

Adepeju had just finished lunch and decided to visit the ‘front’ with an idea that everyone should begin to sing the National Anthem.
Barely five minutes after he left his nearby hall of residence, a gun shot was heard. Adekunle was hit in the head and died instantly.

The news of his death spread fast, resulting in angry protests which led to rioting and lawlessness. By the second day it had spread to Lagos. This went on for most of the rest of that week.

Police stations were attacked and government vehicles were set ablaze.

Though the quelling of the protests, rioting, burning and looting for days was considered high handed and even brutal, it passed without further loss of lives.

Note that this was in a heavily militarized post war Nigeria, yet it passed relatively peacefully without bloodshed.

Three years later, in February 1974, a delegation of University of Lagos students had gone to Ibadan to join in the commemoration of what had become known as Kunle Adepeju Day.

At some point, either during or after the event, they were arrested and detained by the police.

News of their arrest got back to their base in Lagos and was received with great anger.

Swiftly they swooped on a nearby police post and captured four police men. They were held hostage on the campus, for the release of their colleagues.

The hostages were kept for a week on the campus, with daily proof of life display before the press in the cafeteria at meal times.

After all pleas and negotiations had stalemated, the authorities decided to put an end to the embarrassing episode.

They decided to spring their men from their captors in a daring operation. Police stormed the campus by land through the main gate, by water from the lagoon, and by air in an helicopter. They eventually freed their men.

All these without firing a single shot.

As observed earlier, these two events were under a military regime.

This short op-ed is to show that it’s possible to put down protests & even riots by civil means.

The people are not enemies of the state, even when they oppose the state. They should never be treated as such.