The Academic Board of Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech) on Thursday suspended academic activities and asked its students to go home for four weeks.
This is contained in a statement by Mr Charles Oni, the Head of Public Relations Unit of the College in Lagos.
Oni said that the move was to allow the management, staff and students mourn a student, Miss Comfort Dazan, who died on Wednesday.
He added that the closure would also help to forestall further destruction of the college’s property by the rampaging students.
According to the statement, students are to vacate their halls of residence latest by noon on Thursday, February 11.
It said management had pledged to attend to other issues and requests by students in due course.
Meanwhile, the Rector, Dr Margaret Ladipo, the management and the staff had expressed their sympathy to the family of the deceased student and the entire student body over the unfortunate incident.
“Late Dazan, a student in the Department of Technology Management, was a sickle cell anaemia patient.
“She had developed a crisis in the afternoon of Tuesday, February 9, and was temporarily on admission at the College Medical Centre under close watch.
“She was, however, discharged when her condition stabilised to enable her prepare for her practical examination slated for Wednesday, Feb. 10.
“Practical examinations had begun in the college on Monday as a precursor to the main general examination, earlier scheduled for Monday, Feb.15.
“The late Dazan’s crisis relapsed around midnight and her room mates rushed her back to the medical centre, where precautionary medical attention was given to her pending referral to the Federal Medical Centre at Ebute Metta as soon as day breaks.
“She was being conveyed to the medical centre on Wednesday morning when she gave up the ghost.
“Students immediately cashed in on the death of the late Dazan to engage in an opportunistic clamour for the extension of the semester.
“They demanded that the semester be extended by additional two weeks.
“The clamour for extension sprang up again on Wednesday after the death of Miss Dazan,’’ the statement said.
