Students of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, on Monday staged a peaceful protest over an alleged move to allow articulated vehicles to pass through the barricaded section of the Akungba highway.
The protesters, who gathered at the institution's main gate, insisted that the barricade should remain in place, arguing that it was erected to safeguard lives following a series of fatal road crashes involving heavy-duty trucks in the university community.
Chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards, the students called on the Ondo State Government and other relevant authorities not to relax the traffic restriction, stressing that the safety of students, residents and other road users must not be compromised.
Some of the demonstrators alleged that there were moves to reopen the route to articulated vehicles, warning that such a decision could expose the community to renewed danger.
The Akungba axis has recorded several tragic accidents involving heavy-duty trucks over the years, leading to the loss of lives and injuries to students and residents. The incidents prompted sustained calls for stricter traffic regulations and the installation of barricades to prevent trucks from using the route.
Addressing journalists during the protest, some of the students maintained that preserving human lives should take precedence over every other consideration, urging the authorities to sustain the enforcement of the barricade.
The protest ended peacefully, with no report of violence or destruction of property, as the students dispersed after reiterating their demand for continued enforcement of measures aimed at protecting lives within the university community.
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