NANS gives Sanwo-Olu three-day ultimatum over killed ex-LASU activist

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has issued a three-day ultimatum to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to meet a five-point demand which includes setting up a panel of inquiry to probe the death of Nurudeen Alowonle, popularly known as Omomeewa, the student activist at the Lagos State University, Ojo, who was killed last week.

The five-point demand was contained in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES by the Chairman of NANS in Lagos State, Samuel Olalere, on Sunday evening titled, ‘Omomeewa’s assassination – How vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts and lecturers’ common practice of political and academic witch-hunting of student activists murdered a shining light; NANS Lagos blows hot and makes demands from Governor Sanwo-Olu.’

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Alowonle, a former Lagos State University students’ union presidential aspirant and Lagos coordinator of the Education Rights Campaign (ERC), was shot dead in a robbery attack a few hours after appearing before a disciplinary panel set up to probe his alleged involvement in “admission racketeering” near the school gate.

The 2019 graduate of Educational Management was shot alongside a school staff, Waheed Majekodunmi, also known as Majek.

Following his death, his family and ERC demanded that an autopsy be carried out on the corpse.

“The ultimatum ends by 4 p.m. on Wednesday (August) 25th, 2020,” the students’ body said.

The students’ body also threatened that it “would not hesitate to do the needful within our democratic rights to make our demands met.”

Five-Point demand

When this newspaper reached Mr Olalere on Monday morning he said “Lagos will be shut down if the demands are not met.”

“On this note of highly venerated stance, NANS Lagos State, with an estimated population of over 4.1million students and led by able Comrade Samgrin, hereby unequivocally demand that Lagos State government, in the next three(3) days, as a matter of urgency, non-negotiably do the following without any diminishing qualification,” the statement read in part.

The group demanded that the governor of Lagos State “must make a public statement on the tragic demise of comrade Omomewa and also ensure that an autopsy is done within the shortest possible time to respect the wishes of the family who wants to bury their son.”

They also said that the panel of inquiry must include representatives of NANS, LASU student body, Academic Staff Union of Universities, Nigeria Labour Congress, Education Right Campaign, and other “pro-working people organisations to investigate the circumstances surrounding Omomeewa’s death including the complicity of the management of the Lagos State University.”

They said that Mr Sanwo-Olu must ensure the release of Mr Alowonle’s certificate from LASU and “consequently design an honest laudable relief package for his wife and three months old son.”

“The governor of Lagos State shall give comrade Omomeewa a state befitting burial and find a way to immortalize him,” Mr Olalere said.

The group said that all tertiary institutions across the state must be given special consideration” in terms of security.

It is unclear if the governor is aware of the demands. Gboyega Akosile, Mr Sanwo-Olu’s chief press secretary, did not respond to requests for comments.

More allegations

The group alleged that the school management invited Mr Alowonle, who was a critic of the former vice-chancellor of LASU, Olanrewaju Fagbohun, to face the Student Disciplinary Committee (SDC) “to waylay and assassinate him.”

“The death of Comrade Yusuf Nurudeen Alowonle, popularly known as Omomeewa, shouldn’t have happened if the management of LASU hasn’t played the devil’s advocate in his life and, as the umbrella body of the student’s body in Lagos State, we can’t afford to let this get swept under the carpet,

They accused Mr Fagbohun, the Chief Security Officer, identified as Mr Kolade, “OC LASU-SIEU Mr Edu” and Chairman of the SDC, Adeleke Fakoya, as “alpha player” in the event leading to the death of Omomeewa.

They also accused LASU’s spokesperson, Ademola Adekoya, of “deceiving the public and promoting their own well-doctored narrative of their crime.”