Crisis hits Ife varsity over student murder, police make arrest
Colleagues of Ahize Okoli, a slain final year student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, staged a protest on campus on Thursday. The students barricaded a major entrance into the campus and shut down lecturers, in honour of the deceased student.
Until his death, Okoli was a 500-level student of the department of civil engineering in the institution.
He was accused of stealing a mobile phone and, as a result, beaten by his peers at the students’ union building. Okoli developed a health problem due to the severe beatings and eventually died at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, OAUTH.
TheCornet gathered that the police have arrested two executives of a student hostel –Awo Hall –over the murder. Yemisi Opalola, who speaks for the Osun police command, said they were investigating the incident.
“We have arrested two student leaders in connection with the incident,” he said.
Equally, the institution’s management washed its hands off the arrest and police investigation of the culprit. Abiodun Olarewaju, the institution’s public relations officer, said that the university would not “meddle in such a grievous offence.”
“It bothers on the criminality of murder.”
“We are going ahead with our investigation,” he said.
