The management of the Ajayi Crowther University (ACU), Oyo, has paid a condolence visit to the family of a 200-level Mechanical Engineering student, Akpo Alex, beaten to death by some students in his hostel for allegedly stealing a phone.
The visit took place as the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Timothy Abiodun Adebayo, announced a three-day mourning period in honour of the murdered student.
ACU delegates included the Registrar, Dr. Jadesola E.T. Babatola, Dean of Student’s Affairs, Prof. Roland Isibor, and a senior member of the Chaplaincy, Venerable Ayo Dideola.
They visited Alex’s family at the Kubwa, Abuja home of the murdered 22-year-old student.
At a press conference in Council Chamber, Prof. Adebayo who deeply expressed sadness over the unfortunate incident of last Saturday, May 25th, 2024, announced that the university had declared three days of mourning.
It would be marked with no lectures but prayers and fasting.
Adebayo said: “This is my fourth year as VC of Ajayi Crowther University, I never imagined that an unfortunate incident of this nature would ever occur in this university. I have been weeping since the incident. I never knew I could hold this press conference as I am emotionally down.
“I see all the students as my biological children. I do give some of them who approach me money. They all have my phone number. They do call me and we relate like father and children.”
Asked if he suspected cultism in ACU, the VC who vehemently rebuffed the notion, insisted that there was no cultism in ACU.
He submitted: “Cultists need bush to do their initiation. There are no bushes on campus. More so, by 8 pm every day, every student is already in their hostels. I attended a public university, we know how cultists operate. Cultists would not kill Alex the way the student was murdered.”
The Vice-Chancellor said that a total of 20 students were initially arrested and handed over to the police, but after preliminary investigations, only 12 were detained and taken to the police headquarters in Ibadan, along with the porter who was supposed to be on duty that day.
Meanwhile, leading the university’s delegation on a condolence visit to the family of the slain student, the Registrar, Dr. Babatola hinted that Alex was picked from his room and taken to another room where he was beaten to stupor leading to his untimely death over allegations that he stole a phone and transferred money to play spotting bet.
He said: “Unfortunately, none of the management members knew about the beating until the next morning when a student reported it to us. It was in the morning that one of the students saw him lying in a corner and raised the alarm.”
While speaking about her late son, Mrs Anthonia Oziegbe said: “My son was always asking for money despite the fact that he gets N100,000 every month.
“Obviously, those bullies in the school were always asking him for money. The thing that pained me as a mother is that he did not confide in me nor did he tell the elder sister what he was going through in the school.”
