Students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko in Ondo State, staged a protest on Saturday to express outrage over the recent killings of their colleagues, allegedly carried out by a resident of the host community.
This came barely three weeks after two students of the institution, Andrel Okah of the Department of History and International Studies, and John Abba of the Department of Economics, were allegedly abducted and killed by some persons, some of whom had been arrested by the police.
However, the mastermind of the act had reportedly died in the police custody.
The protesting students alleged that another student, Joy Adeyemi, of the Department of Human Kinetics of the institution, had also been killed.
They said she was suspected to have been murdered on Tuesday by her boyfriend, an indigene of the town, who had fled the community.
Students Demand Urgent Action as Fear Grips Campus
During the protest, the angry students, who chanted various solidarity songs, carried placards with inscriptions such as, ‘At Akungba Akoko, say no to students killing,’ ‘Stop killing us, AAUA students,’ ‘ The state government should intervene in the killing of AAUA students,’ among others.
According to The Punch, one of the protesters, who simply identified himself as Kunle, revealed the deceased had been killed by her boyfriend since Tuesday (last week) and locked her inside his room.
Kunle stated that neighbours raised the alarm to call the attention of the students when they perceived an offensive odour from the room.
He said, “We have yet to know the reason the guy killed that lady. The lady operates PoS in that area but since Tuesday, she disappeared, and nobody knew her whereabouts until yesterday (Wednesday) when the neighbours began to perceive an offensive odour.
“That was they discovered that she has been stabbed to death by her boyfriend. They boy after killing her went away with the money she used for her PoS business.
“It is high time the state government did something 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.”
In the same vein, the National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Committee, in a statement, condemned the dastardly act and called on security agencies to bring the perpetrator to book.
The statement was signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the committee; Adekanye Adeboye and Oladele Emmanuel, respectively.
“In light of these tragic events, NANS issues a 24-hour ultimatum to the Ondo State Government and all relevant security agencies to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of these crimes, implement robust security measures to prevent further attacks on students and ensure the safety and security of all students within the university and its environs,” the statement read.
The spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, Olayinka Ayanlade, confirmed the incident, disclosing that three individuals had been arrested in connection with the crime. He added that law enforcement officers were intensifying efforts to track down other suspects linked to the case.
Meanwhile, the university’s Head of Media and Protocols, Victor Akinpelumi, urged students to remain peaceful and avoid any form of retaliation. He emphasized the need for patience, assuring the students that the police were handling the investigation diligently.
