Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq has ordered the immediate removal of the Rector of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Dr Abdul Jimoh Mohammed, following Tuesday’s student protest over the continued use of the institution as a temporary National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp. The governor also approved the constitution of a three-man panel to investigate the incident.
The decision was announced in a statement on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu. According to the statement, the investigation panel is chaired by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Senior Ibrahim Sulyman, with the Commissioner for Environment, Nafisat Buge, and the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare, Dr Mercy Olufunke Shittu, as members. The committee has been given two weeks to submit its report.
Governor AbdulRazaq directed the rector to step aside with immediate effect, while the most senior deputy rector is to act in the interim. The panel is expected to examine the remote and immediate causes of the protest, assess how it was handled, and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence, as well as steps to promote institutional growth. The governor had earlier ordered the closure of the polytechnic to safeguard lives and property.
Students had protested the management’s decision to grant a three-week break to enable the NYSC orientation exercise, arguing that they had just resumed from the Christmas and New Year holidays. The situation escalated, prompting police intervention, during which tear gas was allegedly fired into the campus, affecting students and staff and injuring the institution’s Chief Security Officer. The state government said the polytechnic was designated as a temporary NYSC camp due to prevailing security concerns and assured that the matter is being addressed through due process.
