Students of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) on Saturday barricaded the main gate of the institution’s Ekehuan Campus in protest against a prolonged power outage and lack of water supply.
The demonstration, which disrupted movement in and out of the campus, left staff, visitors and business operators stranded. The students said the blackout had lasted three days, worsening living conditions in hostels and academic areas.
According to the protesters, the situation was unacceptable given the tuition and other institutional fees they had paid. One student lamented that the absence of electricity and water had left hostel facilities in “poor sanitary condition.”
The protest also followed reported security concerns. Students alleged that an unidentified man armed with a cutlass attempted to enter a female hostel on Friday night, injuring one student before escaping.
Responding to the unrest, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of the Ekehuan Campus, Adesina Ayinde, assured students that arrangements had been finalized to restore water supply and that efforts were underway to fix the electricity problem.
However, the students maintained that the gate would remain shut until water was fully restored.
Sources on campus disclosed that the main generator had broken down. They also noted that a backup generator acquired during the tenure of former Vice-Chancellor, Friday Orunmwense, had earlier been relocated to the institution’s main campus in Ugbowo.
The protest disrupted scheduled academic and administrative activities, as students insisted the action was necessary to draw attention to what they described as persistent neglect of critical infrastructure and essential services.
As of the time of this report, the university management had not released an official statement addressing the protest.
