Students of the Adekunle Ajasin University
Akungba Akoko (AAUA) in Ondo State, on
Saturday, staged a violent protest over
the killing of their colleague, Afolabi
Daniel Ojo, by a hit-and-run commercial
motorcyclist.

Students of the Adekunle Ajasin University
Akungba Akoko (AAUA) in Ondo State, on
Saturday, staged a violent protest over
the killing of their colleague, Afolabi
Daniel Ojo, by a hit-and-run commercial
motorcyclist.
Ojo, a second year Economics ( Education)
student of the institution, was hit on Friday by
the reckless rider, who is thought to be an
indigene of the community.
Students told SaharaReporters that the
deceased was returning home from school after
writing a paper in the first semester
examination, which began last Monday.
Our correspondent learnt that the sad incident
occurred few metres away from the school gate
at the popular trading centre known as Ibaka
market.
The aggrieved students marched out of the
campus in their hundreds onto the main road
and other roads in the town, where they erected
barricades and sang protest songs and dirge.
Their action impeded vehicular movement and
crippled business activities. Travelers
commuting through Akungba were diverted to
alternative route on the outskirts of the town.
Many of the students blamed the frequency of
accidents and killing of students of the
institution on the reckless driving of both
commercial vehicle owners and motorcyclist in
the town.
The protesting students also stormed homes of
indigenes to protest alleged shielding reckless
commercial drivers or motorcyclists anytime
such accident occur.
A Mass Communication student of the school,
Emmanuel Adegbola, told SaharaReporters
how the late Ojo was rushed the institution's
health centre before his death.
"Ojo was hit yesterday (Friday) at the market
area by a fast-speeding runaway motorcyclist
while returning home from the campus after
writing one of his papers for the first semester
examination.
"Immediately, the accident occurred, some
students quickly rushed him down to the health
centre on campus, but the staff of the facility
were reluctant to attend to him. They were
asking sympathizers frivolous questions," he
said.
Adegbola disclosed that in the process some
nurses at the health centre informed that Ojo's
case was critical and should be taken outside
the school for immediate treatment.
"He was then taken to a hospital outside the
school and the next day (Saturday), we learnt
he was taken from that hospital to the Federal
Medical Centre (FMC) in Owo, where he died.
"When students heard the bad news they
mobilized and staged a protest starting from the
school to the main road of the town calling on
the residents to fish out the erring motorcyclist
who killed late Ojo at his prime.
"During this protest, some students started
chanting dirge and solidarity songs while others
were throwing stones and trying to destroy
shops and properties on the streets.
"This led to commotion and the Indigenes of the
community mobilized themselves and attacked
them with dangerous weapons and charms, " he
explained.
A resident and Indigene of the town, Mayowa
Akingbade, told our correspondent that
indigenes were provoked by the attack on them.
"They were the first to attacked us by throwing
stones and sticks at our elderly ones and
abusing them
"Some of them even looted our shops and
threatened to cause violence in the community
if we didn't produce the okada rider that killed
their colleague.
"How can we know the exact person that
caused the accident when we were not there
during. We had to protect ourselves," he said.
Speaking with a SaharaReporters correspondent
in a telephone interview, the Vice-Chancellor of
the institution, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, explained
that the deceased was rushed out of the
school's health centre to the FMC where he
died.
"A director of the health centre rushed the
student (Ojo) to a hospital around Iwaro-Oka
Akoko. But when he came back to check on
him, his situation had become critical, and he
was again quickly rushed to the Federal Medical
Centre (FMC) in Owo.
"Unfortunately, he died at the facility of the
FMC in the early hours of today (Saturday) and
immediately the news his death filtered into the
campus, the students gathered to make some
issues out of the incident by staging a protest
inside the school.
"We tried to calm them down, saying the
accident didn't happen on campus. We warned
them against disrupting the academic activities
on campus. But a few ones among them went
ahead to gather others and blocked the
entrance to the gate and the main road.
"Some hoodlums joined them, and they
disrupted activities. It is just unfortunate that
this is happening when the students are writing
their first semester examination," Ajibefun said.
He added that many of the students had wanted
the school management to postpone the exams,
but stressed that they would continue despite
the protest.
The Vice Chancellor further informed our
correspondent that the management will on
Monday set up an investigating panel to look
into the incident with a view to coming up with
a resolution.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, Femi
Joseph Femi, told our correspondent that peace
in being maintained in the town operatives of
the Joint Security Task Force.
Joseph who added that the police, have opened
an investigation into the matter.
"We have deployed security agencies through
the effort of a combined team of policemen to
maintain peace in the town and avoid further
breakdown of law and order while the
investigation has already commenced.
"Although, the residents of the town seem to be
unhappy about the behaviour over of the
students, I can assure that normalcy has been
restored, and police shall maintain proper peace
and order," he said.
It was learnt that security agencies including
Army officers from the 32 Artillery Brigade have
taken over the streets of the town to prevent
further breakdown of law and order between the
students and indigenes.
The corpse of the deceased has been deposited
at a morgue.

http://saharareporters.com/2016/04/10/adekunle-ajasin-university-students-and-indigenes-violent-clash-over-death-student-killed