The management of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo town in Oyo State on Monday, declared a three-day mourning period with fasting and prayers over the death a student, Akor Alex who was killed by his colleagues on Friday.
Alex, a 22-year-old 200-level Mechanical Engineering student was killed in the hostel by his colleagues for allegedly stealing a phone.
The Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Professor Timothy Adebayo disclosed this while addressing journalists at the Council Chamber of the school in company of other principal officers of the faith-based university.
“I sympathise with the family. We don’t pray for such to happen. We are sad over the development. The university has declared a three-way mourning starting from Wednesday to Friday, with fasting and prayer every night against a recurrence such as a sad incident. In those days, it is lecture-free to mourn the departed student,” Prof Adebayo said.
The Vice-Chancellor also disclosed that he wept for two days over the incident.
He said, ”As the vice chancellor, I wept throughout Sunday and Monday. Even while conveying the message to the staff, I wept. I didn’t know I would be able to address this press conference.
Adebayo also disclosed that 16 persons were already in police custody over the incident.
“Twelve students are in the police net over Ajayi Crowther varsity’s student killing. Eighteen (18) were initially apprehended but the Police screened them to 12, including a porter who was taken to Iyaganku Police Station, Ibadan,” he said.
The deputy vice-chancellor, Professor Muyiwa Popoola, also confirmed the VC’s statement, saying: “We wept bitterly.”
He also reiterated the university’s stance against cultism and bullying, saying: “We have learnt our lessons in a hard way. We have zero tolerance for bullying, and cultism. There is no cultism. We have worked in different schools, cultists need bushes to operate.
“There is no sign of cultism and bullying here. There are no bushes here. Cultists need bushes to operate. We always ask our students not to stay alone and in obscure places. We rusticate anyone involved in bullying.”
The VC further added that security had been beefed up to guide against a recurrence of the incident.
He said, “We have a monitoring team that moves around. We have a security team. The Management moves round to check that things are in order to ensure that students comply with the mechanism put in place.
“We will increase the number of security operatives and porters. We will keep on beefing up security in our hostels. We will work on every other aspect of observed inadequacies,” Prof. Adebayo said.
He further assured that the Ajayi Crowther University is safe, saying,
“We raise students with Godly characters. We are telling the parents now that their children are in safe hands here.”