DSS Arrests Two OAU Students Over Protest Against FCT Minister Wike
Two students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife were arrested on Thursday by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) after staging a peaceful protest against Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike.
The protest occurred during the 2025 OAU Distinguished Personality Lecture, where Wike was delivering the keynote address. The students—Kelechi Ejike and Joshua Temitope Oladepo—held placards and chanted slogans demanding compensation for Abuja residents allegedly displaced by demolitions carried out under Wike’s urban renewal program.
“Minister Wike, we demand you compensate the people whose houses you demolished!” the students shouted, momentarily halting the proceedings.
Video footage obtained by SaharaReporters shows DSS operatives forcibly removing the students from the venue. The pair were taken into custody shortly afterward.
The event, held in Ile-Ife, Osun State, was attended by several high-profile figures, including Minister of Finance Wale Edun, former Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom.
The arrests have sparked criticism from student activists and rights groups, who condemned the move as a violation of the students’ constitutional rights to free expression and peaceful assembly.
Wike, who governed Rivers State from 2015 to 2023, was appointed FCT Minister in August 2023 by President Bola Tinubu. Since taking office, his administration has overseen wide-scale demolitions in Abuja, which he argues are necessary to restore the capital’s original master plan.
However, critics have accused him of displacing thousands of residents—particularly in informal settlements—without proper compensation or resettlement plans.
As of press time, the DSS has not released an official statement regarding the arrest of the two students.
