Kwarapoly closed as students protest NYSC camp relocation

Tension engulfed Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, on Tuesday as police officers allegedly exceeded their mandate by firing tear gas at protesting students opposed to the relocation of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp to the institution.

The protest erupted after students blocked the main gate of the polytechnic to prevent newly deployed corps members from gaining access to the campus.

The corps members were relocated from the Yipkata Permanent Orientation Camp in Edu Local Government Area following rising insecurity in Kwara North.

Eyewitnesses said the protest, which began peacefully in the early hours of the day, escalated after security operatives were invited to disperse the crowd.

Videos circulating on social media showed students scampering for safety as a police van drove into the campus.

Officers fired tear gas canisters within the school premises, some of which reportedly landed in student hostels, affecting many of them and staff members.

The polytechnic management confirmed the incident on Tuesday night in a statement by the Acting Registrar, AbdulHafis Amin.

He said some police officers “went beyond their mandate by throwing tear gas canisters into the Polytechnic premises, including student hostels”

According to him, the state government had earlier designated the polytechnic as a temporary camp due to prevailing security challenges.

He said while previous orientation exercises took place when students were on break or had not fully resumed, the current exercise coincided with a full academic session.

“To manage the situation and prevent a breakdown of law and order, the management granted students a three-week break with effect from Monday, January 19, 2026.

“However, some students rejected the directive, arguing that they had just resumed from the Christmas and New Year break.

“This resulted in tension that necessitated police intervention. Unfortunately, some officers went beyond their mandate by throwing tear gas canisters into the Polytechnic premises, including student hostels,” the statement said.

He added that several students and staff were affected, while the Chief Security Officer of the institution sustained injuries.

He revealed that “Following the development, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq ordered the immediate closure of the polytechnic to ensure the safety of lives and property.”

Amin called on all students, staff and stakeholders to remain calm and cooperative as they engaged relevant authorities to resolve the matter amicably and swiftly.

Meanwhile, the opposition PDP condemned the alleged police attack on the students.

It described the decision by the government to convert the polytechnic environment into a makeshift NYSC camp as ill-planned and without due planning or consultation.

In a statement signed by the State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, the party said the development “indicates a growing and dangerous pattern under the present government, where peaceful protesters are routinely intimidated, harassed, or violently dispersed”.

“Rather than provide a properly prepared alternative arrangement for the relocated corps members, the government opted for the most reckless approach.

“Turning a functioning academic institution into a dumping ground for NYSC, displacing students who had already paid for accommodation and were in the middle of an academic calendar, with examinations imminent, is irresponsible and insensitive.

“The Kwara PDP therefore demands immediate, transparent investigation into the conduct of the police officers and all actors involved in the suppression of the protest and calls for unreserved public apology from the Kwara state government to the students of Kwara State Polytechnic.

“We also call on the state government to urgently provide a humane, well-planned alternative for accommodating NYSC corps members without disrupting academic activities in the institution,” the statement added.

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