Barely three weeks after two students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State were killed by some indigenes of the town, the students of the University in Saturday took to the streets to protest against the killing of another female student.
Recall that two students of the institution, Andrel Okah of the Department of History and International Studies and John Abba of the Department of Economics were recently abducted and killed by suspected indigenes.
Although some of the suspects had been arrested by the police, the alleged mastermind of the killing reportedly died in police custody.
However, while protesting on Saturday, the students alleged that the latest killing involved another student identified as Joy Adeyemi of the Department of Human Kinetics.
According to the protesters, Adeyemi was suspected to have been murdered on Tuesday by someone said to be her boyfriend who had fled the community.
The protesters were armed with 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.
Addressing journalists during the protest, one of the protesters, who identified himself as Kunle, disclosed that the deceased was killed by her boyfriend since Tuesday who locked her inside his room.
Kunle stated further that it was neighbours who raised the alarm to draw the attention of the students when they perceived a foul odour from the room.
“We are yet to know the reason the guy killed that lady. The lady operates a PoS in that area, but since Tuesday, she has disappeared, and nobody knew her whereabouts until yesterday, when the neighbours were concerned, and they discovered that she had been stabbed to death by her boyfriend. The 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.”
Reacting to the killings, the National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Committee, in a statement, condemned the dastardly act and called on the security agencies to bring the perpetrator to book.
In the statement signed by the chairman and secretary of the committee, Comrade Adekanye Adeboye and Oladele Emmanuel respectively, the students said while they were still grappling with the tragic loss of two students who were brutally killed in the university, another female student fell victim to senseless violence on Friday.
“As a body saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the general affairs and welfare 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,” they said.
In light of these tragic events, the student body issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Ondo State Government and security agencies to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of these crimes.
NANS also demanded implementation of robust security measures to prevent further attacks on students as well as safety and security of all students within the university and its environs.
They further demanded accountability and serious actions to protect the lives of students, saying failure to comply with the 24-hour ultimatum “would leave us with no other option than to mobilise all student structures across the country down to Ondo state and stage a massive peaceful protest until our demands are met.”
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ondo State Command, Olayinka Ayanlade, who confirmed the incident, said three suspects had been arrested over the incident.
Ayanlade also assured that efforts were ongoing to arrest the perpetrators.
“We have arrested three suspects, and we are making efforts to arrest other fleeing suspects while the investigation is ongoing,” the PPRO said.
Also, the Head of Media and Protocols of AAUA, Mr Victor Akinpelumi, appealed to the students not to take the law into their hands by allowing the police to carry out thorough investigation into the killing.
“We are only appealing to the students not to take laws into their hands, and they should allow the police to do a thorough investigation, and I’m sure justice would be served on the perpetrators,” Akinpelumi pleaded.
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