Tension has escalated in Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, following the reported murder of yet another student of Adekunle Ajasin University, coming just weeks after the killing of two others.
The latest victim, a female student whose identity has not been revealed, was allegedly stabbed to death by her boyfriend.
Confirming the incident, the President of the university’s Students’ Union, Salami Akeem (popularly known as Ologbon), condemned the rising wave of violence against students in a statement titled: “Incessant Killings of Adekunle Ajasin Students by the Host Community.”
In the statement, the union expressed strong concerns and issued a 24-hour ultimatum to security authorities, demanding swift action to stop the violence.
“We write to solidify our grievances in respect to the recent incessant killings of the students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko.
We received the first shocking news of two students who were gruesomely murdered after being kidnapped for days. We were further bewildered by the news that the primary suspects of the crime are indigenes.
The matter was taken up, and the police were actively engaged in collaboration with important stakeholders within the Akungba community, hoping this unfortunate incident would not reoccur.
“However, to our greatest surprise, we were rudely confronted with another terrible news of a student who was murdered by her boyfriend, who also happened to be an indigene of the host community.
From what we have been able to gather, the student was gruesomely murdered — stabbed to death and left to rot in his room by her boyfriend for more than three days. The discovery of the body came after neighbors noticed a strange odor oozing from the room, which led them to break down the door and discover the corpse of the lady, which had already begun to decompose. It has also been gathered that the boyfriend is on the run. Even though the mother of the suspect has been arrested, the criminal remains at large.
“On this note, the Students’ Union of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, is issuing a 24-hour ultimatum to the State Government, the Nigeria Police Force, and all relevant bodies to come to the aid of students and stop the gruesome and incessant killings in the Akungba community.
“We make this demand in the spirit of solidarity, comradeship, and without fear of contradiction, to demand 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 given ultimatum, the Students’ Union Body will not hesitate to embark on full-blown protests in a bid to put a permanent end to these continuous killings of our students.”