MONROVIA, Montserrado – Ahead of the president’s address to the legislature, two groups of students at the University of Liberia have been clashing over the abrupt suspension of academic activities at the Capitol Hill campus.

The university’s administration had published on social media Sunday that due to the president’s annual message to the legislature and the traffic restrictions issued by the Liberian National Police, all activities on its Capitol Hill campus, including administrative and academic were suspended for today, Monday, January 28, despite a police statement that students in the vicinity of the restricted areas are exempted from the police traffic and security restrictions.

“However, the campus will be accessible only for parking purposes beginning at 2 p.m. to enable those attending the Annual Message park vehicles,” the university’s administration statement read.

The administration noted that it regrets any inconvenience the suspension would cause.  Several students who said they only got to know about the suspension of academic activities after when they got on campus to attend their classes were protesting the decision.

The students blocked the main road before the campus and the capitol building, threatening that there would be no address by the president unless academic services were restored.

“No school, no nation address,” they chanted.

Morris Tokpah, a student from Barnesville who said he was studying management at the university, said he was surprised that the university was closed simply because the president would be addressing the legislature.

“I came for my midterm on Saturday. I was here up to 3:00 p.m. and I didn’t receive any information whether there will be no session here on Monday,” Tokpah said.

He also believes that the suspension of all activities of the university because of the president’s address was strange, nothing that such did not happen during the previous administration of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

He said the situation cost him economic losses because he suspended other activities and transported himself to come to school without having lessons.

Another group of students who saw the action of their colleagues as inimical to the presidency started a counter-protest, chasing away students who demanded the immediate resumption of academic activities.

They alleged that the rival group had insulted the president and branded officials of the government as criminals.

A member of the latter group, who only identified himself as Musa, said although he was not in favor of the suspension of academic activities, he thinks that the attempt to prevent the president from delivering his annual message was uncivilized and anti-democratic.

“I am a student of the University of Liberia. We came together and decided that since some of us don’t believe in the ideas and policies of the president, let us allow the president to give his state of the nation address,” he said, adding that he preferred to scrutinize the president’s speech afterward. “But some of the comrades said no, we will not allow the brother to give his state of the nation address. We will assemble and disturb.”

Meanwhile, the former National Youth President of the YMCA in Liberia has reported that he was attacked and beaten badly by unknown individuals on the university’s campus claiming to be security officers aiming to repel demonstrations against the president’s annual message.

Harris said he was dragged and received several punches, causing him to nearly lose his life and one of his eyes.

“They dragged and threw punches at me and started questioning me on whether I was a spy, or came to get information on the number of men stationed on the UL campus. I responded that I was no spy, that I am a resident of Jallah Town and was passing through the campus to go for treatment as I have been unwell since Sunday before heading for work,” he said.

Ida Reeves contributed to this article. Featured photo by Ida Reeves