Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Armed policemen drawn from various formations across Lagos State on Wednesday took over the premises of King's College, Onikan, following days of protest by parents and workers over the Federal Government's proposed concession of the historic institution to its Old Boys Association. The operation, led by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, saw armed officers break open the school gates and confront protesting workers who had locked the entrance to resist attempts to reopen the college.
The confrontation was the latest and most dramatic escalation of a dispute that has paralysed academic activities at the 117-year-old institution. Workers under the aegis of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria had shut the gates on Monday, disrupting resumption for the 2026/2027 academic session as part of a nationwide industrial action affecting all 120 Federal Government Colleges. The union is opposed to the concession, arguing that handing the school to the King's College Old Boys Association under a public-private partnership arrangement would have far-reaching implications for workers and the administration of federal colleges.
According to accounts from the scene, the tension began when policemen made an initial attempt to take over the entrance. The workers resisted and forced them back. The situation escalated with the arrival of the Commissioner of Police, who led another contingent of armed personnel to the school. A young man was arrested for allegedly filming the police operation. The Treasurer of the King's College Parent-Teacher Association, Emmanuel Abiya, alleged that the police brought a generating set and cutting equipment to break the locks securing the gates. He described the scene as resembling a "war situation". The Lagos State Chairman of ASCSN, Olusola Omidiji, said an elderly woman was dragged and pushed to the ground when policemen attempted to arrest her. "It was as if a war was going on at King's College today," Omidiji said. "The Commissioner of Police led a large number of armed policemen in an attempt to reopen the locked gates."
The union also accused KCOBA members of forcefully taking over the school gate on Tuesday, accompanied by armed police officers. The Unit Chairman of ASCSN, Samuel Enang, alleged that KCOBA members stormed the school with a generator and gained entry through the back gate before chasing away workers and parents who were protesting peacefully at the main gate. He said a Deputy Director identified as Oyedepo, the union's Vice Chairman Musa Oyewoga, a former Secretary of King's College Bolanle Olumegbon, and two Physics teachers, Mr Bashorun and Mr Adesina Emmanuel, were among those attacked. He further alleged that police officers took away a staff member's child during the confrontation.
Despite the police intervention, the protesters succeeded in preventing KCOBA executives from accessing their secretariat and holding a scheduled press conference there. As of 11 a.m., some members of the Old Boys Association, including National President Ibrahim Kassim Imam and former Nigerian Bar Association President Olumide Akpata, had arrived at the college for a meeting to deliberate on the way forward regarding the concession. Roads leading to the main gate were cordoned by police vehicles and officers, with vehicles from the Tafawa Balewa end diverted to other routes.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, had earlier clarified that King's College was neither being sold nor privatised. He said the Federal Government would retain legal title to the college, while KCOBA would finance its rehabilitation, modernisation, and operate and maintain the institution under the proposed arrangement. He said the concession was intended to improve the college's infrastructure and learning environment while preserving its status as a public institution. KCOBA President Sir Kazeem Ibrahim-Imam also refuted claims of a commercial takeover, explaining that the PPP framework is designed to rehabilitate deteriorating infrastructure, double salaries for remaining teaching staff, and keep tuition rates unchanged.
But the workers and parents remain unconvinced. They described the proposal as disguised privatisation and insisted that funding public education remains a core government duty. The Coordinator of the Federal Workers Forum, Andrew Emelieze, called King's College a vital national heritage and urged the old boys' association to develop new institutions independently rather than acquire an existing public facility. A multi-stakeholder reconciliation meeting had been scheduled for Wednesday to resolve the impasse, but the police takeover has deepened rather than eased the crisis.
The dispute follows months of tension over the proposed concession. In August 2026, parents and students staged a protest along Marina Road, blocking traffic and threatening court action. The Trade Union Congress also directed its affiliates to commence industrial action across Federal Unity Colleges nationwide, leading to the closure of the 112 colleges. The Federal Government's insistence on proceeding with the concession, despite the mounting opposition, has now led to a situation where armed police have been deployed to a secondary school to enforce a policy that the stakeholders it affects most have rejected.
For the students of King's College, the chaos has meant an indefinite disruption of their education. For the workers, it has meant confrontation with armed policemen and the arrest of a young man for the simple act of filming the operation. For the Federal Government, it has meant a deepening credibility crisis over a policy that it insists is in the best interest of the institution but which it has been unable to sell to those who know the school best. As the police maintain their grip on the premises and the Old Boys Association meets behind cordoned roads, the question on everyone's lips is whether this standoff will end in dialogue or in further confrontation.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments