Report coming from the regional Headquarter town of Makeni last night, states that armed security personnel were deployed inside the Ernest Bai Koroma (EBK) University yesterday while students are taking the Comprehensive examination.
Police sources say, the deployment is to maintain law and order following a standoff between the students and administration. He said the administration recently engaged the Regional Police Commander, Northeast, AIG Sahr Yomba Senesie to explain to him about their situation in the University. The university accused some students of refusing to pay their fees but that they wanted to be allowed to take the Comprehensive examination which they have rejected.
The affected students on the other hand appealed to the administration to give them small time and allow them to sit the exams and pay later but the administration refused. This stand off according to University sources created some tension which prompted the authorities to request for police deployment to prevent the students who have not paid their fees from taking the exams.
The source said the police boss then dispatched a team of senior officers to find a way out of the impasse between the students and university administration. The police delegation wanted the university to allow the students to take the examination and keep the results until they pay but the later rejected, stressing that students will only be allowed entrance to the examination hall after paying their fees. The source said it was as a result of the stand off that prompted the University to request for police presence in the compound so that only students who pay their fees will be allowed to sit.
The University administration accused some students of owing them over a year and will no longer tolerate that from them this time round.
“Any student that fails to pay his/her fee will not be allowed to take their Comprehensive examination,” a senior official of the university said.
Responding to the issue, the Vice Chancellor Professor Momoh said the security was deployed because of the security threat posed by some students. “At the start of the first semester we made it very clear to all students to pay their fees or they will not be allowed to take their exams. They thought I was joking,” he said. He accused several students of creating tension on Monday May 15th 2023, when the Comprehensive exams started and he urged the Finance officials to allow them to sit but that they should regularize their fees or they will not take the exams.
He said the misbehavour exhibited by some students the following day prompted him to alert ONS, AIG Senesie and Local Unit Commander.
He said most of the students do not want to pay their fees but want to continue their education which he said will not be tolerated this time. Prof. Momoh said the amount of money is paying as subvention for the student is not enough to run the University.
He pointed out that it is only Makeni they are facing challenges, adding that Port Loko and Magburaka are complying fully.
“The security will continue to deploy at the University until all the exams are taken. I have also requested for armed guards to be deployed at the University until after the exams,” he said.
Meanwhile the examination went on peacefully and several of the students have started paying their fees.