Students at the College of Health Sciences and Technology in Jega, Kebbi State, protested by setting fire to Provost Alhaji Haruna Saidu-Sauwa’s residence and damaging his car amid accusations of extortion.
The protest was triggered by claims that the college had collected N23 million from 250 graduating students for index registration fees. This fee hike, allegedly linked to the introduction of a Public Health program, reportedly demanded an additional N65,000 from each student on top of the N30,000 already paid.
In their frustration, students threw stones at vehicles and set the provost’s house on fire. College staff evacuated, and security forces were deployed to restore order.
Provost Saidu-Sauwa denied the accusations, calling them “fictitious and baseless,” and stated that the Public Health program had no external connection used for extortion. He explained that the college follows a Single Treasury Account for financial transparency and claimed that the protest resulted from misinformation spread by individuals with hidden motives.
He challenged the accusers to present evidence and urged patience until the real reasons for the unrest emerged. Saidu-Sauwa expressed relief that there were no injuries and vowed to work with security to identify those responsible.
Order has since been restored at the college, with the Kebbi State Police Command’s public relations officer, SP Nafiu Abubakar, indicating that further details will be released after a report from the Divisional Police Officer in Jega.