IAR&T crisis: Police arrest four protesting workers

Police yesterday arrested four of the protesting workers of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, I.A.R&T, Apata- Ganga, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Workers of I.A.R&T, which is one of the institutes under the administrative control of the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, have been on strike in the last 11 months.
Those arrested by the police from the Apata Police Divisional Headquarters are Comrade Tunde Oladiji, the Treasurer of the Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU, in Oyo State, Mr. Dele Omotayo and others simply identified as David and Timothy.
However, a source at the Apata police station said the people were not arrested, but invited by the police to make them see reason why they should not vandalise government property in the course of their protest.
The source added that the I.A.R&T staff would be taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, at Iyanganku, Ibadan, where a peace meeting would be held with the leaders of various staff unions of the institute.
“We have been managing this I.A.R&T crisis for about 11 months now, and we have not arrested any of the workers. But we want them to realise that they don’t have any right to vandalise government property just because they are protesting,” the source said.
It was gathered that the workers had converged on the main entrance of the institute to protest the alleged refusal of the OAU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Tale Omole, to implement the disciplinary actions recommended by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development against the Executive Director of the institute, Prof. Benjamin Ogunbodede.
Speaking with journalists on the development, the Chairman of the I.A.R&T branch of NASU, Comrade Femi Emmanuel Oladeinde, said it was unfortunate that Ogunbodede could use the police to disrupt the peaceful protest.
He also alleged that police from the Apata Divisional Police Headquarters used tear gas to disperse the protesting workers.
But speaking with journalists in a telephone interview, Ogunbodede said he did not invite the police, but added that police were at the scene to perform their lawful duty.
He called on the workers to allow normalcy to return to the country’s foremost agricultural research institute.

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