The Management of Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife has condemned in strong terms the recent attacks on its students by armed hoodlums, who not only dispossessed them of their valuables but also inflicted injuries on them.
In a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju, the incident occurred on Monday at Oreoluwa Hostel in Moremi Estate, within the Ile-Ife metropolis.
The statement commended the prompt intervention of the Students’ Union officials, who quickly conveyed the injured students to the University Health and Medical Centre for treatment.
The affected students, who sustained deep machete cuts, are Ogedengbe Emmanuel Oluwafemi, a Part Four student of the Department of Management and Accounting; Emmanuel Akinribiye, also a Part Four student of the same department; and Olalekan David Okemiga, a final-year student of the Department of Mathematics.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simeon Bamire, also appreciated the swift response of officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force, A Division, Ile-Ife, and Oke-Otubu Division, Modakeke.
He called on all security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police and the Department of State Services (DSS), to further intensify their patrols around students’ residential areas.
Professor Bamire further appealed to education stakeholders and well-meaning Nigerians to invest in building more hostels within the University campus to enhance students’ safety and welfare.
