Police in Lagos, Nigeria deployed Friday armored vehicles to guard the University of Lagos, where students set the vice-chancellor's residence ablaze during a riot. Police spokesman, Emmanuel Ighodalo, said Friday that the vice-chancellor of the university, Professor Oye Ibidapo-Obe, and some other top officials of the institution were helping the police in their investigation of events that led to the students' protest and the death of one of their leaders on Wednesday. Around 100 riot police officers were deployed in the university community to maintain law and order, he said. Ighodalo said the decision to deploy armored vehicles and riot police officers in the university had the backing of the police authority at the highest level in Abuja. The police, he said, are currently investigating the death of the Speaker of Parliament of the Students Union Government, who passed away minutes after addressing the students Wednesday. The students subsequently went on the rampage, blaming the university authorities for incessant power outages on campus and the death of the speaker. In the protest that followed, the residences of the varsity's vice-chancellor and that of the dean of student affairs were set ablaze.
