Operatives of the Department of State Services have arrested two students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State on Thursday.
The students were arrested for staging a protest against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
The protest it was gathered occurred during the 2025 OAU Distinguished Personality Lecture, where Wike delivered the keynote address.
According to Sahara Reporters, the arrested students, identified as Kelechi Ejike and Joshua Temitope Oladepo, were seen in video footage holding placards and chanting slogans demanding compensation for residents whose properties were allegedly demolished by the FCT administration under Wike’s leadership.
“Minister Wike, we demand you compensate the people whose houses you demolished,” the students chanted, briefly interrupting the lecture proceedings.
The event, held in Ile-Ife, was attended by several dignitaries, including the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; former Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; and former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom.
At the time of filing this report, the DSS has yet to release an official statement on the incident or confirm the students’ current status.
Wike, who served as governor of Rivers State between 2015 and 2023, was appointed Minister of the FCT by President Bola Tinubu in August 2023. Since his assumption of office, the FCT administration has been under scrutiny for its aggressive urban renewal efforts, which have involved the demolition of buildings deemed illegal or structurally unsafe.
