Three weeks after two students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) were kidnapped and murdered by their landlord, another student of the institution has been allegedly killed by her boyfriend, an indigene of the community that hosts the school.
The deceased, Joy Adeyemi of the Department of Human Kinetics of the institution, was stabbed on Tuesday, with her decomposing body discovered at the weekend following a stench oozing out from her room.
According to a student of the university, who simply identified himself as Kunle, the boyfriend of the deceased, who locked the remains of Joy in her room, fled the town after allegedly committing the crime.
He said, “He locked her inside his room. It was her neighbours who raised the alarm, calling the attention of other students when they perceived a bad odour from her 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 perceiving a bad odour and 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.”
Infuriated by the development, students of the institution on Saturday took to the streets of the community to protest against the alleged killings of their colleagues by those they tagged as indigenes of the town.
The protesting students, armed with placards with inscriptions such as ‘At Akungba Akoko, Say No to Students Killing’ and ‘Stop Killing Us,’ chanted solidarity songs with an appeal to the state government to intervene in the situation.
While giving security agencies and the government 24 hours to identify the perpetrators, the National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Committee condemned the dastardly act in a statement signed by its chairman, Comrade Adekanye Adeboye, and secretary, Oladele Emmanuel.
The association read, “As a body saddled with the responsibility of 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.
“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 and 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.”
According to the statement, 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.”
When contacted over the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Olayinka Ayanlade, confirmed that three suspects have been arrested in connection with the killing; efforts are on to apprehend the fleeing boyfriend.
The Head of Media and Protocols of the AAUA, Mr Victor Akinpelumi, appealed to the students not to take the law into their own hands but allow the police to do a thorough investigation into the matter.
“We are only appealing to the students not to take the law 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,” he said.
