The authorities of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) on Tuesday said the 13 students who are being remanded at the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons in Lagos are not students of the institution.

This is as the Education Right Campaign (ERC), has condemned in strong terms the unlawful arrest and subsequent remand of the student activists

In a statement signed by Mr. Toyin Adebule, the Deputy Registrar, Information Unit, the management of the university said the remanded persons were not students of the institution.

“University of Lagos, hereby states that the 13 students remanded by the court as reported by different newspaper tabloids and electronic publications to be UNILAG students are not students of the institution. These “students” comprise of rusticated students and some students from an institution in Ogun State.

“Let us emphasise here that the rusticated students are requested to apply for re-admission after serving their punishment. Until re-absorption, they are not considered bonafide students of the university. The statement reads.

However, a statement signed by Hassan Taiwo Soweto, National Coordinator and Omole Ibukun National Secretary of the ERC, the group reiterates demands for the immediate and unconditional release of the detained student activists, unconditional recall of all victimized student activists, restoration of banned students union and respect for democratic rights of students and education workers.

The group also called for the removal of Fatai Owoseni as Lagos Commissioner of Police.

The group alleges that Owoseni is turning the police into the private thugs of the UNILAG management while also calling for an end to the atmosphere of repression and fear imposed on the campus.

The statement noted that all the actions of the police since the campaign for the recall of the victimized students and restoration of banned students union in UNILAG show there is alleged criminal conspiracy between the University of Lagos authorities and the commissioner of police to continue to deploy the police as private thugs of UNILAG to harass students and put down dissenting views.

The group recalled that the students were arrested by heavily armed Policemen on Friday March 31, 2017 around the premises of University of Lagos on their way to show their displeasure at the suspension of a visually-impaired student and to demand the reinstatement of all suspended student activists.

It would be recalled that the students were arrested and remanded by a Special Offences mobile court pending the hearing of their bail application slated for April 6.

They were accused of invading the premises of the Television Continental in Lagos and arraigned on a two-count charge of unlawful invasion and disruption of activities before Chief Magistrate P.E. Nwaka.

It also stated that the students were arraigned on the false accusation of disorderly conduct at TVC where they had gone to press home the demand for the reinstatement of rusticated student activists including a visually challenged student who was the latest victim.