Following a raid at Giwa Polytechnic Owo in Ondo State on
Friday, Police arrested ten people suspected of belonging to the 'Aiye Confraternity.'
The Confraternity members raided the Polytechnic earlier on
Friday with weapons and attacked students in an act a gang reprisal.
A source said the Polytechnic Rector, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun
called security in Owo who quickly turned up at the institution.
Nigeria Police Force, Ondo State Command said the State
Anti-Robbery Squad, "arrested some of them while others took to their
heels. The institution is proceeding on short break so it might be difficult in
carrying out a thorough investigation. But let me assure the press that we will
get to the root of this matter and bring the perpetrators to book."
The State Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police Force,
Wole Ogodo could not be reached for comment.
An officer in the command confirmed the arrests saying the
investigation is still on-going. When Saharareporters asked if any
weapons was found, and if the students were not members of the institution, the
officer cut off the conversation directing inquiries to the DPO.
A Mechanical Engineering student at the school had alerted
Saharareporters about the raid in a text, "Please, save our soul, there is
pandemonium in our school right now. Some boys numbering about ten with guns
are shooting seriously and collecting student's phone as well attacking them.
They are now moving to off-campus with guns..."
Saharareporters learned staff and management members on hearing
about the raid locked themselves into their offices leaving the students to
fend for themselves.
A private security official told Saharareporters no one had been
killed in the attack. He said motorists and passers-by thought the
students were rioting at the Polytechnic and took different routes to avoid
being killed by stray bullets.
The Polytechnic had just finished the first semester
examinations with the majority of students already gone for vacation but some
students remained.
Sources told Saharareporters that members of 'Aiye
Confraternity' were searching for a banking and finance student, 'Tee-jay' a
member of the 'Black Axes Confraternity' after he had purportedly mistreated a
member of the 'Aiye Confraternity' and humiliated him in front of ladies in his
department.
According to a source the 'Aiye Confraternity' member lives off
campus in 'Igbolodu' - an area known to be populated by many boys expelled from
the Institution. The gang member told his colleagues about his
mistreatment who assured him of a reprisal attack.
Another source said the gang brought reinforcements from nearby
institutions - University of Benin (UNIBEN) and Auchi Polytechnic both in Edo
State.
At of this time of reporting, since Saharareporters visited the
school, normalcy has returned with students traveling home.
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