Students of the Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic, Lafia, on Thursday barricaded the Lafia-Jos Road for several hours, to protest the closure of the school’s registration portal by its management.

However, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the students were later chased away by a combined team of the Nigerian Army and Police.

Justina Kotso, the Rector of the Polytechnic, who confirmed the protest, said that the management was meeting with the state Ministry of Education to decide on the next line of action

NAN also reports that during the protest, the students destroyed part of the institution’s administrative block, street lights, water tank, vehicles, and the Information and Communication (ICT) Centre, among others.

Alkamis Ladan, the National President of Nasarawa State Students Association (NASSA), told reporters that they took the action because of the closure of the registration portal.

He explained that students were to begin their examinations on March 15, but those yet to pay their registration fee were asked to pay additional N10,000, otherwise the portal would not be reopened.

Mr. Ladan appealed to the management to reopen the portal, in the interest of peace and development in the institution, while urging the students to remain calm as efforts were being made to engage with the school management on a lasting solution to the problem.

(NAN)