POLICE in Kitwe have arrested over 100 Copperbelt University (CBU) students who ran riot and engaged police in skirmishes in protest over the ongoing strike by lecturers at the institution.
The students blocked Jambo Drive with logs and burning tyres, forcing motorists to find alternative routes for fear of getting caught up in the fracas.
Copperbelt commissioner of police Joyce Kasosa said in an interview that over 100 students were arrested for riotous behaviour in the fracas that lasted over three hours.
“Students from higher institutions of learning are supposed to follow the law when aggrieved instead of engaging in riotous behaviour. The behaviour of the CBU students is unacceptable and we have so far arrested over 100 students,” Ms Kasosa said.
Earlier, police officers were outnumbered by irate students and struggled to restore order before they were re-enforced by the anti-robbery squad.
The situation, however, remained volatile despite the reinforcements as the stone-throwing students forced their passage to Jambo Drive after police officers ran out of teargas canisters.
Copperbelt University Students Union acting president Miselo Mumba said students have run out of patience due to the ongoing strike by lecturers.
“We are tired of being at the institution without learning. CBU is not a hotel where we can be sleeping all the time instead of learning. We want the issue of lecturers to be resolved so that we can start learning.
“Our vacation was extended by one month but we did not do anything. Government should intervene and resolve the issue,” Mr Mumba said.
CBU lecturers have gone on strike to push for the resignation of vice-chancellor Nason Ngoma and the entire management for allegedly mismanaging the institution.
Infintu ni Lungu is working. When we told you that PF ni ba chimbwi no plan, you never listened at all.
So if you want change, make sure you decampaign PF day and night so that come 2016, UPND takes over to restore sanity and peace in the nation.
Only UPND team led by HH will restore Zambia into a prosperous nation and make it financially viable and credible.
Go to hell with your UPND team led by HH! Should everything be politics!
Winter Kabimba ati ni bamwine. Rainbow Party and the choices, here we come to straighten out the country.
Ha these students balipena they over powered the police force…… it had to take the anti robbery squad? This is serious…
Vote HH who have vision in Education including remembering the poor. Edgar is quiet now and this is because he has no vision and he mentioned this earlier before voted into Power by majority lusaka street vendors. No vision leader, Zambia will perish and no positive action or command has been seen in him as a leader.
but I think the behavior of the police is not good.why shud they break doors like that .there is a better way of handling violent students not that brutality.most students who participated in this nonsense ran out of campus .so breaking doors is not a solution at all.The Vice Chancellor should show leadership by restraining the police from doing so
Cbu lectures want to choose management where in the world do you do this they haven’t stated there case apart from breathrize and that management do want to negotiate they haven’t stated when management refused to negotiate with them it seems they just don’t want management and professor ngoma this is anarchy and we can set a very bad president for the incoming management becouse it will be a puppet of the union which will be something else