By Demola Akinyemi
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and a visitor to Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, on Tuesday ordered the closure of the institution following students’ protest over the presence of members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the polytechnic.
AG Registrar AbdulHafis Amin issued the directive in a press statement on behalf of the polytechnic management, which affected the governor’s directive.
Recall that the Kwara State Government had earlier designated Kwara State Polytechnic as a temporary Orientation camp for NYSC, whose permanent camp site in Yikpata in the Edu Local Government Area of the state was relocated due to fears of bandits’ attacks.
While the students were away on the Christmas/New Year holiday, two batches of posted NYSC members had resumed on the polytechnic premises, with facilities already designated for their use.
It was gathered that on resumption from the holiday break on Monday, the students were asked to proceed on a three-week break to enable the NYSC members to carry out their camp exercise, which the students rejected.
They became enraged and gathered at the entrance gate to protest.
Vanguard reliably gathered that the students’ protest at the entrance gate became violent when a team of police officers deployed to quell the riot, and teargassed students as they were struggling to gain entrance into the campus premises.
The polytechnic Chief Security Officers reportedly sustained severe injuries before the protesting students were sent away.
The statement by the AG Registrar AbduHafis Amin reads:”The Management of Kwara State Polytechnic wishes to bring to the attention of the general public the current situation within the institution.
“As a reminder, the State Government had earlier designated Kwarapoly as the temporary orientation camp for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) due to prevailing security challenges in the State.
“During the first camp exercise, students were on break, and during the second, students had not fully resumed. However, for the current exercise, students are fully in session.
“To manage the situation and prevent any breach of law and order, the Management granted students a three-week break effective Monday, 19th January, 2026, to facilitate the successful conduct of the NYSC orientation camp.”
It added that,”Regrettably, some students reacted negatively to this directive, on the grounds that they just resumed from Christmas/New Year break. This resulted in tension that necessitated police intervention.
” The police were initially tasked with dispersing the crowd at the Polytechnic’s main gate. Unfortunately, some officers went beyond their mandate by throwing tear gas canisters into the Polytechnic premises, including student hostels.
” This action adversely affected several students and staff, including Polytechnic’s Chief Security Officer, who sustained injury.
“Consequently, His Excellency, the Executive Governor of the State, Mall. Abdulrahman AbdulRasaq has directed the closure of the Polytechnic to ensure the safety of lives and properties of the entire Polytechnic community.
“The Management, therefore, calls on all students, staff, and stakeholders to remain calm and cooperative as we continue to engage with the relevant authorities to resolve this matter amicably and swiftly,” concluded the statement.
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