Students at the College of Health Sciences and Technology, Jega, Kebbi State, set fire to the residence of the provost, Alhaji Haruna Saidu-Sauwa, and vandalized his vehicle in a violent protest over alleged extortion.

The unrest stemmed from accusations that the college management extorted N23 million from 250 graduating students for index registration. The controversy revolved around a new public health program that was originally affiliated with the Reproductive Health and Public Health Association of Nigeria. The program was later merged with the Department of Environmental Health to secure certification, prompting the school to demand an additional N65,000 from each student for index registration, on top of the N30,000 already paid.

Angry students, accusing the management of extortion, responded by stoning vehicles and setting the provost’s home ablaze.

In response, Provost Sawwa denied the allegations, calling them "fictitious, baseless, and mischievous." He dismissed claims that he had collaborated with an external body to extort money from the students, stating that all school fees were paid directly into the Treasury Single Account (TSA), which neither he nor anyone else had personal access to.

Kebbi State Police Command's Public Relations Officer, SP Nafiu Abubakar, confirmed the situation and promised further details after receiving a report from the Divisional Police Officer in Jega. Order was restored at the college after security forces intervened and dispersed the protesters.