Students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, staged a protest against the mob killing of Okolie Arinze, a 500-level Civil Engineering student of the institution.
He was beaten to death at the Awolowo Hall of Residence of the institution on Monday, April 10 over allegation that he stole a phone.
The protesting students stormed the Students’ Union Building and shut it down, calling for the immediate proscription of the students union.
They said the protest would continueuntil all parties involved in the killing are brought to book.
The Dean of Students Affairs, Prof I. O. Aransi, pleaded with the students to allow peace and allow the free flow of vehicles on campus.
He promised the students that the management will tackle it with utmost concern, saying that the institution is pained with the development.
One of the leaders of the departments in the protest who simply identified himself as Ayanfe of the Technology and Engineering Students Association (TESA) demanded that the investigation should be spread to the Central Executive Council, noting that information revealed that the deceased spent nothing less than 12 hours at the Students’ Union Building before he died there.
He insisted that the student union building must remain shut pending the conclusion of the investigation on the matter.
The protesters cautioned that there should be no representative of the Students Union on campus till further notice, saying “none of them came out to give concrete information on what happened.”
They asked for the inclusion of Faculty of Technology students in the committee set up by the management to ensure that just is served in the matter.
The protesters demanded that the conventional application of ‘Scientific Maximum Shishi’ (SMS) and parading of offenders be eradicated finally from the OAU campus.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the university, Abiodun Olanrewaju, disclosed that the management headed by the Vice Chancellor, Prof Simeon Bamire, has set up a committee to unravel the circumstances that led to the alleged killing.
He said the management will continue with its investigation without tampering with the ongoing efforts of the police.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, confirmed that two leaders of the student union are in the police net in connection with the killing.
She said the investigation has commenced assuring that the killers would be fixed out.
