TALES BEHIND JULY 10 FATAL CULT ATTACK


Today marks 21 years cult members invaded Obafemi Awolowo University and carried out a fatal attack in which five students were murdered in cold blood. However, this fateful day calamitous event will forever remain a dark spot in the minds of the OAU students even the yet to come OAU destined generation.

On March 7 1999, the Students' Union led by Secretary General of the Union George Akinyemi Iwilade (Afrika) apprehended some cultists belonging to confraternity with arms including guns with several rounds of ammunition. They were interrogated by students and then handed over to university management who transferred them to the police.

The gruesome attack, carried out in the early hours of Saturday, July 10, 1999, which was four months after the same confraternity whose members were apprehended in March struck, led to the death of 21-year old 400-Level Law student and the then Secretary-General of the Students Union, George Akinyemi Iwilade, fondly and popularly called Afrika.

Others killed in the attack were Eviano Ekeimu, 400-Level Medicine; Yemi Ajiteru, an extra year student, Babatunde Oke, 100-Level Philosophy, and Godfrey Ekpede.

They were shot dead in Blocks 5 and 8 of Awolowo Hall of the university allegedly by members of Confraternity, alleged to have been sponsored by the then university vice chancellor, Wale Omole.

Mr. Omole was accused by students of aiding campus cultism, alleging he did not show seriousness in fighting the menace; but that, rather, it was commonplace for cultists caught by students to get their way back to the university without reprimand.

Even though he denied the allegations several times, Mr Omole was relieved of his appointment on the recommendation of a panel of enquiry set up by the federal government through the Ministry of Education then headed by Tunde Adeniran, a professor.

One of those who believed in Mr Omole's complicity is the then Students' Union president, Lanre Adeleke. A survivor of the attack himself, Lanre Legacy as he was fondly called then on campus, said victory lies in justice.

Like Mr Adeleke, Tayo Iwilade, a lawyer and brother of one of the victims, also yearns for justice for his brother.

In separate interviews, the two claimed they were still crying for perpetrators of the attack to be brought to justice.

THE ATTACK

"At the early hours on July 10, 1999, between 3:30a.m to 4a.m, a large number of cultists belonging to the Confraternity arrived OAU campus with the intention to carry out assassination of leaders of the union fighting against irregularities," Mr Adeleke, who was the Students' Union President at the time.

The unsuspecting Mr Iwilade was said to have led the parade of nine members of the Confraternity that same year.

A parade on OAU campus is a shaming act of taking culprits round the campus as a deterrence. It is mostly done to cultists, thieves and others who have committed grave offences against university rules.

The paraded suspected cultists were Evimori Kester, Dele Aromoloye, Larry Obichie, Uche Obichie, Ikechukwu Mordi, Mayowa Adegoke, Olakanmi Ogundele, Bruno Arinze and Lanre Ajayi.

Four months after the parade, suspected cultists launched a reprisal attack on OAU campus.

"The apprehended cultists (alleged) that they were sponsored by the then University Managements led by Prof. Wale Omole", Mr. Adeleke, who escaped being killed by jumping from the third floor of Block 8 of the Obafemi Awolowo Hall where his room was.

Mr. Adeleke revealed that it was on record that some of the notorious cultists were apprehended by students, handed over to the police and allegedly confessed to being sponsored by the then Vice-Chancellor.

He lamented that due to the corrupt judicial system in Nigeria, the suspects were later discharged and acquitted.

"We started the arrest from the day it happened. We went after some of them that we had their names. We were able to pick about 33 of them out of about 48, they were arraigned and we pursued the case in courts for good three and half years. For three and half years, I was practically doing nothing. We go to court almost every day to make sure just prevailed."

He further said "Even the Bursar at that panel of enquiry confirmed to us what one of the cultists said; that they were given over N300,000 two days before the incident to buy ammunition for security reasons. It was established. The money was given to them on July 8 through one Kazeem Bello who was not even a student of Ife but a student of UNILAG. They arrested Kazeem then and he made confession."

Every year since 1999, OAU students commemorate the July 10 killings crying repeatedly for justice.

May the souls of the deceased continue to rest in peace.

By: Olabode Oluwafemi

RIP,
GEORGE IWILADE AFRIKA & OTHERS

May the souls of the departed 5 rest in peace. I remember visiting Ife for the first time 2days after the massacre. Awo boys made my experience awesome. Unfortunately, as an undergraduate, I chose never to live in Awo despite allocated spaces in my part 3 and 4.

Rest on heros

Viva Africa

When I remember OAU, I remember Afrika and other fallen heroes
Rest on, no amount of brutality can silent the spirit of braveness

Check this out to get full insight to the saga


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtoexcWJXbk

rip

It's an unforgettable day...a morning that still sends cold shudders down my spine. Lanre legacy(President), Africa( Gen Sec), Faro Idris(PRO) are the few names of Exco I can remember.
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That bad Saturday, most of us were supposed to have our mid-semester tests. By 7:00HRS All students had to converge at the amphitheatre theatre for a powerful meeting that led to the arrest of some the cultists.

Africa and others, May God bring your killers to book

Hmmm

he was general secretary, not secretary general

I was very young then, all I know then was that one of the students killed then came from my hometown, Iwo in Osun State

Did he killed them?

Very Unfortunate

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Enough is enough...stop over flogging the issue

21 years just like yesterday

years later, his younger brother, Akin iwilade, was employed as a lecturer in OAU. 2015. international relations department.