AJAYI CROWTHER VC SPEAKS ON STUDENT’S DEATH, SAYS 12 PEOPLE IN POLICE CUSTODY

The Vice-Chancellor (VC), of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Prof. Timothy Adebayo, has disclosed that 12 persons have been arrested over the death of a 22-year-old 200-Level Mechanical Engineering student, Akor Alex, who was beaten to death by his colleagues over phone theft last Friday.

Addressing newsmen at the Council Chamber of the school on Monday, the VC said management has declared a three-day mourning as well as fasting and prayer over the death of the student.

Adebayo said he wept for two days over the incident.

“I sympathize with the family. We don’t pray for such to happen. We are sad about the development. The university has declared a three-day mourning starting from Wednesday to Friday, with fasting and prayer every night against a recurrence of such incidents.

”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,” he said.

Adebayo said 12 persons are already in police custody over the incident.

“Twelve students are in the police net over the student’s killing. Eighteen were initially apprehended, but the police screened them to 12, including a porter who was taken to Iyaganku Police Station, in Ibadan.

“We have learned 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. We always ask our students not to stay alone and in obscure places.

“We have a monitoring team that moves around, we have a security team. The management moves around 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.

“Ajayi Crowther University is safe. We raise students with Godly characters. We are telling the parents now that their children are in safe hands here,” he said.