COPPERBELT University (CBU) students have gone on a class boycott

COPPERBELT University (CBU) students have gone on a class boycott following the arrest of their colleagues by police on Sunday.
Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) president Oscar Mbewe said the students had boycotted class as a way of protesting against the detention of their colleagues.
Mr Mbewe said in an interview that the boycott was referred to as a ‘Black Monday’ and that the 16 students that were arrested had been released.
He said the students, who were charged with unlawful assembly, were released yesterday through the help of Riverside councilor Christopher Kang’ombe who intervened in the matter.
“We have gone on a class boycott in solidarity with our colleagues that were arrested on Sunday and we are calling the day a black Monday,” he said.
Mr Mbewe said CBU, which was supposed to have 2000 students, was currently housing more than 14, 000 students, a situation which had brought confusion on campus.
management was not putting in consideration the number of students being enrolled each year.
He appealed to Government to come on board and help management build hostels to cushion the accommodation crisis at the institution.
Mr Mbewe said the institution had more than 80 per cent of land which was dormant.
On Sunday, police arrested 17 students for alleged unruly behaviour after they rioted following managements decision to check on squatters in rooms.