UNIBEN Students Block Gate in Protest Over Three-Day Power Outage, Water Shortage

Students at the Ekehuan Campus of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) barricaded the main entrance gate on Saturday morning, February 14, 2026, to protest a persistent lack of electricity and water that has lasted three days.The demonstration began as early as 6:30 a.m., leaving university staff, business operators, visitors, and other campus users stranded for hours outside the gate.Protesters voiced deep frustration over the blackout and water scarcity, which they said has made basic hygiene extremely difficult. One anonymous student remarked, “Getting a bath here feels like winning the lottery right now.”Another student, identified as Prosper, highlighted the irony of the situation: “We’ve been without light or water for three days, yet we’ve paid our full fees, including multiple new and increased charges introduced this session. "The hostels are in a terrible state because there’s simply no water.”The protest escalated further amid reports of a security incident the previous night, when an unidentified man armed with a cutlass allegedly attempted to enter a girls’ hostel and bit a student while fleeing.Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Ekehuan Campus), Professor Adesina Ayinde, addressed the students and assured them that water supply would be restored later that day, with ongoing efforts to fix the electricity issue. However, the students remained firm, refusing to reopen the gate until they saw water flowing.Sources indicated that the campus’s sole functional generator has broken down. A backup generator reportedly purchased during a previous administration (under Professor Friday Orunmwense) was allegedly relocated to the main Ugbowo Campus without clear justification during the tenure of the last vice-chancellor, Professor Lilian Salami.As of the latest updates, senior university officials, including the DVC, continued negotiations with the protesting students to resolve the standoff and reopen the gate.

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