A fresh crisis is looming at the Adekunle Ajain University Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), in Ondo State, over the killing of another student, simply identified as Joy Adeyemi, by a suspected assailant.
Adeyemi, an undergraduate student of the department of Human Kinetics in the state owned-institution, was killed on Tuesday after she was declared missing by coursemates.
Her decomposed body was discovered in a one-room apartment in the university community, a development that sparked angry reaction and protest among her bereaved colleagues on Saturday.
The latest incident came barely three weeks after two students of the school, Andrel Okah of the department of History and International Studies and John Abba of the department of Economics, were allegedly abducted and killed by their landlord.
A fortnight ago, Oladele, who was arrested by the police as prime suspect in the murder case, later died in the hospital after developing a strange illness.
Angered by the reoccurring development, the students of the institution took to the streets on Saturday, protesting the violent killings of their colleagues.
They blocked the major roads, saying the protest was triggered by the murder of Ms Adeyemi, who was reportedly stabbed to death her boyfriend who is currently on the run.
Carrying placards of different inscriptions such as: “AAUA students are not goats to indigenes; “Stop killing us; “We are here to study, not to die”; the protesting students accused the indigenes of the community of masterminding the killings.
One of the protesters, Kunle, said some neighbours discovered the dead body of Ms Adeyemi inside the room following a stench odour oozing out of the building.
He explained that the mystery behind the killing was yet unknown, revealing that the student who also operates the Point of Sales (POS) shop around the campus was gruesomely murdered.
“Since Tuesday that she [Adeyemi] disappeared, and nobody knew her whereabouts until when the neighbours were perceiving bad smell from the room and saw her corpse.
“They discovered that she had been stabbed to death by someone they alleged to be her boyfriend and indigene of the Akungba town. After killing her, the guy went away with the money she used for her POS business,” he added.
Condemning the killings, Kunle explained that both the school, police and the state government have to find a solution to the security challenges in the university and the community at large.
According to him: “It is high time the state government found an urgent solution about the killings of our students by the indigenes of this town. If nothing is done, this may lead to a serious crisis in this community.
“You remember that some weeks ago, two of our students were also kidnapped and killed. So, something has to be done.”
Ondo Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, confirmed the killing, revealing that three suspects have been arrested by the security agencies in connection with the murder case.
“We have arrested three suspects, and we are making efforts to arrest other fleeing suspects while investigation is ongoing,” Mr Ayanlade told our reporter on phone.
The Students’ Union Government (SUG) of the institution and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have condemned the latest killing of the students, expressing dismay at repeated violent attacks on students.
Comrade Salami Akeem, SUG President of the institution in a statement issued on Saturday, accused the indigenes of the host community of orchestrating many of the attacks and killings of his colleagues.
Akeem recalled how they received the shocking news of two of their colleagues, Okah and Abbah, who were murdered after being kidnapped for several days.
He explained that they were “alarmed to learn that the primary suspects in the crime are indigenes of the host community”, noting that the matter was taken up, and the police were actively engaged in collaboration with key stakeholders within the Akungba community, “with the hope that such an unfortunate incident would not reoccur.”
“However, to our greatest shock, we were once again confronted with the devastating news of another student who was murdered by her boyfriend, who is also an indigene of the host community.
“From available information, the student was brutally murdered — stabbed to death and left in his room for more than three days.
“The body was only discovered after neighbours noticed a foul odour emanating from the room, prompting them to break down the door, whereupon they found the decomposing corpse of the young woman.
“It has also been gathered that the boyfriend is currently on the run. Although his mother has been arrested, the suspect remains at large.”
The student union body, however, issued “a 24-hour ultimatum” to the state government, the police and all relevant authorities to come to the aid of students and put an end to the gruesome and incessant killings in the Akungba community.
“We make this demand in the spirit of solidarity and comradeship, and without fear of contradiction, to seek justice for our fallen students.
“We also wish to state clearly that if the perpetrators of this heinous crime are not brought to book within the stipulated timeframe, the Students’ Union Body will not hesitate to embark on full-scale protests in a bid to permanently halt the continuous killing of our students.”
Also, NANS – Joint Campus Committee condemned the killings in a statement signed by its chairman and the secretary Adekanye Adeboye and Oladele Emmanuel, respectively.
It also called on the security agencies to bring the perpetrator to book without any delay, threatening to mobilise a mass of Nigerian students to the state for protest if the “senseless killings” did not stop.
The students body also demanded the implementation of robust security measures to prevent further attacks on students and ensure the safety and security of all students within the university and its environs.
“As a body saddled with the responsibility overseeing the general affairs and welfarism of all Nigerian students, we strongly condemn these heinous acts and demand immediate action from the Ondo state government and all security operatives responsible for safeguarding lives and property within the state. The incessant killings are a clear indication of a security lapse that must be addressed urgently,” the statement read.
But reacting, the spokesperson for the institution, Victor Akinpelumi, called on the students to avoid taking laws into their hands.
Mr Akinpelumi, who commiserated with the students, noted that the management was making frantic efforts with the police and other security agencies in ensuring maximum protection of the institution’s students.
He pleaded with the protesting students to allow the security agencies to carry out thorough investigation on the murder matter.
“We are only appealing to the students not to take laws into their hand and they should allow the police to do thorough investigation and I’m sure justice would be served on the perpetrators,” he said.
