Success Nwanedo
Students of the University of Port Harcourt, on Friday, clashed with operatives of the Choba Divisional Police Command, Rivers state, in demand for the removal of a barricade on the U-turn of the East-West Road.
The Student Union Government (SUG) and other students had marched to the station to ask for the removal of the blockade, which was placed during the rampage of unknown gunmen, where some police stations were razed down in the state.
It was gathered that in the cause of dialogue with the police, gunshots by the Police officers were fired to disrupt the removal of the barricade from the road.
Speaking to reporters, the SUG President, Gift Ubabuike, said that the police command had given conditions for removing the blockade, which he said, had been met.
According to him, “conditions given by the Police for the removal of the barricade at the U-turn included fencing of the Police quarters, mounting of a secure gate.”
He noted that the blockade was causing “unnecessary traffic, one-way driving, which may lead to the death of students, as Police has turned the U-turn to illegal extortions from motorists.”
Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Georgewill Owunari, has seen the removal of the barricade, as motorists could be seen using the U-turn at the time of filing this report.
