Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State has ordered the immediate closure of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, for a period of three weeks following a violent student protest on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.

The unrest was triggered by the institution's decision to grant students a mandatory three-week break to allow the campus to be used as a temporary National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp. The state government had relocated the camp from its permanent site in Yikpata, Edu Local Government Area, late last year due to deteriorating security conditions and the threat of banditry in that axis.

While the polytechnic management defended the break as a necessary measure for "law and order," returning students who had just resumed from the Christmas and New Year holidays rejected the move. Protesting students blocked the main gate and chanted anti-government songs, claiming they were being ejected from their hostels to accommodate corps members.

The situation turned chaotic when security operatives, deployed to disperse the crowd, allegedly fired tear gas canisters into the campus and student hostels. The Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the institution sustained severe injuries during the melee, and several students were reported to have collapsed or been injured due to the police response.

In a swift administrative move following the unrest, Governor AbdulRazaq also ordered the removal of the Polytechnic Rector, Dr. Abdul Jimoh Mohammed, and appointed a three-man panel to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the protest.

Reacting to the development, the Kwara State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemned the use of force. In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, the party accused the government of "poor planning and insensitivity," arguing that academic facilities should not be converted into makeshift camps at the expense of students' education and safety.

The institution remains closed until further notice, with all academic activities suspended.

According to the viral video, the students blocked the school entrance to prevent new corps members from arriving at the camp for orientation.

One of the students lamented that they were being ejected from their hostels and campus to accommodate the corps members for orientation.

However, the video recorded men of the state police command shooting teargas cannisters to disperse the protesting students.

Consequently, the governor directed the closure of the Polytechnic "to ensure the safety of lives and properties of the entire Polytechnic community," the school authority disclosed.

A statement from the institution's Public Relations Officer (PRO), Hajia Halimah Garba, and signed by the Acting Registrar, AbdulHafis Amin, confirmed the crisis.

It reminded all that: "the State Government had earlier designated Kwarapoly as the temporary orientation camp for the NYSC due to prevailing security challenges in the State.

"During the first camp exercise, students were on break, and during the second, students had not fully resumed. However, for the current exercise, students are fully in session," it stated.

"To manage the situation and prevent any breach of law and order, the Management granted students a three-week break effective Monday, 19th January, 2026, to facilitate the successful conduct of the NYSC orientation camp," it added.

The school regretted that: "Some students reacted negatively to this directive, on the grounds that they just resumed from Christmas/New Year break. This resulted in tension that necessitated police intervention.

"The police were initially tasked with dispersing the crowd at the Polytechnic's main gate.

"Unfortunately, some officers went beyond their mandate by throwing tear gas canisters into the Polytechnic premises, including student hostels.

"This action adversely affected several students and staff, including Polytechnic's Chief Security Officer, who sustained injury," the statement partly read.