The Senate of the University of Benin has suspended academic activities indefinitely following student protests on Wednesday.

In a statement released on Thursday, the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Benedicta Ehanire, clarified that the shutdown does not impact non-academic staff. The university also instructed students to vacate their hostels immediately.

“Due to the students' refusal to compromise on their demands for a twenty-four-hour electricity supply and other issues deemed unrealistic by the University’s Senate, academic activities have been indefinitely suspended,” the statement read.

“Students are to leave the hostels immediately, and all relevant university units should take note and comply. Non-teaching staff and those on essential duties are exempt from this shutdown.”

On Wednesday, UNIBEN students protested by blocking the busy Benin-Ore Highway, reacting to weeks of power outages on their campus. The prolonged power cuts have significantly affected their preparation for the upcoming first-semester examinations, which are just two weeks away. The students demand a 24-hour electricity supply, a request the university administration considers unrealistic.