Thursday, March 7, 2002 will always be a day to remember in the history of Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, Delta State where a student was killed and so many others were seriously wounded with properties estimated at millions of naira were vandalized.
The mayhem resulted from a clash between National Association of Delta State Students, PTI Chapter (Nadesstu) and some PDP loyalists at PTI stadium during a political rally of the state branch of the People's Democratic Party(PDP) in 2002 where Chief James Onanefe Ibori, the then Governor of Delta State was present.
The students saw this opportunity as an avenue to make their grievances known to the Governor, over their unpaid bursary allowances. They gathered themselves with play cards and stormed the venue of the rally seeking to have an audience with the Governor.
But they were rebuffed by some armed security men. The students insisted that they must have an audience with Chief Ibori. The police however stood their ground that it cannot happen. The heated argument later ensued between the two factions in what later snowballed into the mayhem that engulfed the entire campus.
First it was the police and the students, but the ensuing commotion was later hijacked by the thugs who unleased terror on the PTI campus. In the process, CHARLES AFIGO was shot dead and many others went away with injuries.
It was a Bloody Fracas on PTI Campus that will ever remain fresh in the students' memories.
Charles Afigo, today makes it 15 years you lost your life in the struggle. You are indeed a leader with a brave and strong heart. You stood, fought, bled and died for the betterment of your fellow Deltans and Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) students at large.
A fight you did not live to enjoy. Your fight has yielded positive results, the present generation is benefiting from your fight. The unborn generation will still benefit from it. You fought for a just cause.
You are an Hero! You are indeed an epitome of love and comradeship. You will forever live in our Hearts. PTI miss you. The Students community miss u, Nadesstu miss u, Rest in Peace till we meet again.
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