Bauchi Polytechnic Suspends, Dismisses Female Students Protesting Water Scarcity In Hostels

SaharaReporters reports that no less than seven students of Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Bauchi have been suspended for organising a peaceful protest over scarcity of water in their hostels.

A student of the institution, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said about four of the students were expelled while the remaining three were suspended over the peaceful protest.

He stated that the affected students had simply reminded the porter of the importance of water in the female hostels.

He added that the students, who are in their final years, were either suspended or dismissed.

According to the source, the students were wrongly affiliated with a former lecturer of the school, with whom the institution's deputy rector has some scores to settle. 

He said, “In March 2021 at ATAP, Bauchi, there was a small peaceful protest in the female hostel at The Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Bauchi. 

“The female students protested lack of water in the hostels, there was no water in the hostels that time for about three to four months. So after the protest, the management identified some female students like seven of them. The truth is that they are not even the ones who organised the protest but the Deputy Rector of the polytechnic has a problem with a man called Yarewa; he claimed the students work for Yarewa. 

”These students don't even have any relationship with Yarewa, He was a staff member at the institution but had been suspended a long time ago, but the deputy rector still has a problem with Yarewa. 

“The students who protested were not violent, they didn't damage anything, they didn't attack anybody, it was a peaceful protest. They didn't destroy any property; all they did was just shouting that they wanted water. They were telling the hostel porter that they wanted water, they simply protested against the lack of water. 

”Now, the school authority has suspended about three of them while four of them have been dismissed. The affected students are from the School Of Science, School of General Studies and School of Engineering. 

”It's painful because they are all in the final year and final semester, they are almost done with school and all these are happening.”