The Council of Student’s Union Presidents (CSUP) says bandits are killing university students due to the protracted ASUU strike.

The Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna SUG President Ishaka Yahaya spoke on behalf of all SUG presidents across tertiary institutions at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday.

According to Mr Yahaya, many students who resorted to working are kidnapped and killed. He appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime to accede to ASUU’s demands.

“It is true when they say when two elephants meet; only the grass suffers. It is quite obvious here that both the federal government and ASUU have nothing to lose in this fight. The only most unfortunate and innocent victims here, you would agree with us, are the Nigerian students, who have everything to lose,” he noted. “So many students after graduation would not be able to get government jobs due to age limit consideration.” 

He also disclosed that the CSUP had written to the Federal Ministry of Education, issuing a seven-day ultimatum to reach an amicable resolution with ASUU.

“We hereby appeal to the federal government to meet the

demands of ASUU within the shortest period of time as failure to do so would leave us with no option than to go ahead with our peaceful demonstration,” Mr Yahaya said on behalf of the SUG presidents. “For it is better to die for something than to live for nothing.”

The University of Jos SUG President Danladi Adankala lamented the kidnap and murder of a 500-level student of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho.

ASUU has been on strike since February to demand the adoption of UTAS against IPPIS, to provide funds to revamp public universities, and to honour the 2009 agreement between the government and the union, among others.

(NAN)