A former President of the National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS), Prince Orji Nwafor-Orizu, has advised on the warring factions of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), to sheathe their swords, embrace peace and avoid acts capable of tarnishing their image.
Recall that heavy gunshots had on Wednesday rocked the Old Parade Ground in Abuja, venue of the National Convention of the NANS, where some students sustained injuries from the gunshots and machetes after thugs loyal to a candidate unleashed mayhem on opposition delegates.
The thugs were said to have been led by someone said to be close to the presidency.
It was learnt that some politicians had raised millions of Naira to influence the election and support his candidature, leading to the fracas.
But reacting to the ugly incident, Prince Nwafor-Orizu, expressed shock at such a disgraceful outing, reminding them of dire consequences.
He urged the waring parties to sheathe their swords, advising that “it was despicable that people who had paraded themselves as leaders would descend so low as to resort to the use of barrel of the gun to snatch leadership”.
He maintained that it was wrong for “our leaders of tomorrow to engage in such awful acts”, stressing that “it is disdainful and smarks of decency and insults the hallmark of people aspiring to leadership”.
According to him, “students who aspire to leadership must abide by the rules, engage only in decent acts and avoid those that could smear their reputation as well as project them as capable of engaging in acts of brigandage of whatever magnitude.
“I condemn in strong terms the shooting and every act of violence that took place at the Old Parade Ground, venue of the National Convention of NANS.
“As one who had led such a body in the past, I feel ashamed that our students could engage in such acts of brigandage.
“It is totally wrong for one to aspire to leadership through the barrel of the gun. It is shameful and must be condemned.
“I hereby call on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and other relevant security agencies to get to the bottom of the matter and not sweep it under the carpet.
“The culprits must be fetched and made to face the full wrath of the law. That is the only way to avoid recurrence in the future. Anything short of that is unacceptable,” Prince Nwafor-Orizu stressed.
