LASU Students Say 'No Retreat, No Surrender' Over Fees Hike

'When the going gets tough, the tough gets going' is a popular that seems to be the mantra adopted by Lagos State University Students’ Union (LASUSU).

Following a violent dispersal of their protests on Tuesday, the students have reiterated their stand and have vowed not to stop protesting until their is an acceptable downwards review.

Their protest on Tuesday had taken a dangerous turn after policemen dispersed them by shooting tear gas and alleged live bullets to scare the students who had blocked the Ikeja - Oshodi roads carrying placards with messages targeted at state governor Babatunde Fashola and his party, the All Progressives Congress.

As many as 16 students were injured and 10 other hospitalised in the confusion that followed.

The police also confiscated LASUSU vehicles and arrested a number of students

Eight of the arrested students, five males and three females, were arraigned on Thursday before an Ikeja Magistrate court by the Lagos state police on charges of disturbance of peace.

Three of the accused, who pleaded not guilty, are teenagers.

But President of LASUSU Nurudeen Yusuf, has told NAN that the students would continue their protests because they had a right to do so.

“We are students and Nigerian citizens and as enshrined in the 1999 constitution, we have freedom of expression and the right to protest,” he said.

He argues that the LASUSU protest was conducted peacefully contrary to claims of public disturbance by the police.

“We started the protest from LASU gate with five police vans following us all through until we got to Bolade, Oshodi, when it seemed the police received an order to disperse us.

“We did not vandalise any public property as claimed,” Yusuf said.

They have even taken to twitter with the #SaveLASU tag making a little showing: