Tension In Ile-Ife: OAU Students Arrested by DSS For Opposing Wike

Two students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, were reportedly arrested on Thursday by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) following a protest against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

The protest occurred during the 2025 edition of the OAU Distinguished Personality Lecture, where Wike was the keynote speaker.

According to Sahara Reporters, the detained students—identified as Kelechi Ejike and Joshua Temitope Oladepo—were captured in a video holding placards and chanting demands for compensation to residents allegedly affected by demolitions carried out by the FCT administration under Wike’s leadership.

The students briefly disrupted the lecture, chanting, “Minister Wike, we demand you compensate the people whose houses you demolished.”

The event, held in Ile-Ife, was graced by high-profile guests 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.

As of the time this report was compiled, the DSS had not issued any official statement or provided updates on the whereabouts or condition of the arrested students.

Wike, who previously served as Rivers State Governor from 2015 to 2023, was appointed FCT Minister by President Bola Tinubu in August 2023. His tenure has drawn public attention due to a series of urban redevelopment initiatives, which have involved the controversial demolition of structures deemed unauthorized or unsafe.