Tension erupted at the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo campus, on Tuesday after security operatives allegedly attacked and brutalised diploma students who were protesting peacefully over their exclusion from the university’s direct entry admission list.
According to reports, the protesters were diploma graduates who had completed their programmes with outstanding results but were denied 200-level direct entry admission into degree courses, despite earlier assurances from the school management.
Eyewitnesses said the peaceful demonstration turned chaotic when LASU security personnel confronted the students, dispersing them with force. Video clips and photographs showed some students being chased, dragged, and beaten, leaving several injured and emotionally traumatised.
“We were only asking for fairness and transparency,” one student told SaharaReporters. “Many of us were promised admission if we had at least a 3.0 CGPA. Suddenly, the requirement was raised to 3.5, and now over 300 of us have been left stranded.”
Sources revealed that the affected students graduated with CGPAs between 4.0 and 4.8 but were disqualified after the university management abruptly raised the entry benchmark.
The development reportedly dashed the hopes of many who had already purchased JAMB Direct Entry forms based on the previous agreement.
“We submitted letters of appeal to the Vice Chancellor, Dean of Student Affairs, and even the Lagos State Ministry of Education,” another student said. “We reached out to the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Student Affairs and pleaded for dialogue, but no one listened.”
When their pleas went unanswered, the students staged a peaceful protest within the campus, carrying placards with inscriptions such as “We deserve fairness” and “Keep your promise, LASU.”
However, witnesses said the demonstration was disrupted by campus security officers who descended on the protesters. Some were reportedly hospitalised, while others sustained bruises and emotional trauma.
“We are not fighting LASU; we are fighting for our future,” one of the protesters said. “If the department is full, they can offer us related courses. We just want to continue our studies.”
