Sam Philip
Another student of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) has been reportedly killed.
The victim, Joy Adeyemi, was allegedly killed by her boyfriend.
The decomposed body of Joy Adeyemi of the Department of Human Kinetics was found in her room.
Eyewitness account revealed that the fetid odour oozing out of Joy’s room attracted people in the neighborhood.
Approaching her door, it was discovered the door was locked and the neighbours had to break in on to discover her decomposed body.
The incident led to mass protest in the host community, Akungba-Akoko on Saturday as it was suspected that her boyfriend must have killed her and fled.
Protesters brandished placards with different 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.
One of the protesters, who simply identified himself as Kola, disclosed that the boyfriend of the deceased is an indigene of the host community.
He also revealed that she must have been killed since Tuesday and her boyfriend locked the door and took flight.
According to Kola, when they broke into the room, it was discovered that the victim was stabbed to death allegedly by her boyfriend.
He revealed that the residence of the boyfriend had been visited and was said to be out of town.
The eyewitness said: “We are yet to know the reason the guy killed that lady. The lady operates POS in that area, but since Tuesday, she has disappeared and nobody knew her whereabouts untill yesterday when the neighbours were perceiving bad odour from her room.
“They discovered that she was 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.”
It would be recalled that a couple of weeks ago, two students of the Varsity, Andrel Okah of the Department of History and International Studies and John Abba of the Department of Economics, were kidnapped and their dead bodies were later found.
Some suspects, including the mastermind, were arrested by the Police, but the prime suspect had died as he took ill while investigation was still ongoing.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Committee has condemned the incident, calling on the security agencies to bring the perpetrator to book .
The group, in a statement signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the committee, Comrade Adekanye
Adeboye and Oladele Emmanuel respectively, said: “The National Association of Nigerian Students, Joint Campus Council, Ondo Axis is appalled and deeply saddened by the recent wave of killings targeting students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State.
“While the student community is still grappling with the tragic loss of two students who were brutally killed in the university, another female student fell victim to this senseless violence just yesterday.
“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, 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.
“NANS, therefore, demanded accountability and serious actions to protect the lives of its members, saying failure to comply with 24-hour ultimatum “would leave us with no other option than to mobilize all students structure across the country down to Ondo state and stage a massive peaceful protest and until our demands are met.”
However, the Spokesman to the state Police Command, Olayinka Ayanlade, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) confirmed the incident, disclosing that three persons have been arrested in connection with the incident.
He said the victim’s boyfriend was not among the arrested boyfriend, saying operatives are on the trail of the fleeing boyfriend.
The PPRO said: ” We have arrested three suspects and we are making efforts to arrest other fleeing suspects while investigation is ongoing.”
When contacted on the incident, the Head of Media and Protocols of the University, Mr Victor Akinpelumi, appealed to the protesting students not to take laws into their hands, but allow the police to do a thorough investigation on the matter.
He said: “We are only appealing to the students not to take laws into their hands and they should allow the police to do thorough investigation and I’m sure justice would be served on the perpetrators.”