Students of the Ondo State College of Health Technology, Akure, on Monday morning shut down both academic and non-academic activities at the institution in protest over alleged extortion by staff and poor infrastructural conditions.

The protesting students barricaded the school’s main gate, preventing staff and officials from gaining access to the campus. They displayed placards with inscriptions such as “Health Tech With Poor Environment,” “Stop Extortion Now,” “We Are Tired of This Wickedness,” and “No Solution, No Exams.”

The students also set bonfires and chanted solidarity songs, vowing that lectures and examinations would not resume until their demands were addressed.

According to the protesters, the institution is plagued by deteriorating classrooms, hostels, and laboratories, as well as an unreliable water supply. They accused the management of neglecting basic infrastructure while allegedly imposing unnecessary charges on students.

Some of the students claimed that repeated appeals to the school authorities over the issues had been ignored, forcing them to resort to protest.

Reacting to the development, the Rector of the college, Oluwole Oluwanbe, denied the allegations of extortion but assured that the Ondo State Government would intervene to address the students’ concerns.