Osun varsity students in violent protest over killing of colleague

Students of the University of Osun, UNIOSUN, on Wednesday went on rampage in Osogbo to protest the killing of their colleague, Oluwafemi Shonibare, by suspected ritualists.

The students, who gathered at the popular Ola-Iya junction as early as 7.00 a.m., blocked all the major roads with bonfire.

This resulted in restriction of vehicular movement for hours in the state capital.

The protesting students, who wore black shirts, trousers and skirts, chanted war songs and assaulted motorists and journalists covering the protest.

They also invaded the NUJ Correspondent Chapel’ s office at Fagbewesa where they slapped a female journalist, Seun Adesokan, and assaulted others for attempting to take their photographs.

The students also attacked a filling station directly opposite the Correspondents’ Chapel office, destroying a refrigerator placed outside.

They also vandalised properties in other shops.

Mr. Shonibare, a 400 level Microbiology student of the institution, was declared missing on June 26 by the police.

The state police command confirmed his killing by suspected ritualists after Mr. Shonibare’s decomposing body was found in a bush on Tuesday close to the house of an Islamic cleric at Oke-Baale, Osogbo.

Angered by the incessant disappearance of students in the vicinity, some of the residents had set the cleric’s house on fire and also vandalised a mosque.

The police on Tuesday also paraded a 19-year-old apprentice herbalist as well as two other accomplices, while one was said to be at large.

The state Police Commissioner, Olufimihan Adeoye, while parading the suspects, said they carried out the crime on June 26 at about 7:30 p.m. at Oke-Bale area of Osogbo.

He said the suspects conspired and killed the student by hitting him on the head with a mortar pestle.

Mr. Adeoye said the victim’s head, two wrists and palms were cut off while his remains were dumped in a bush.

He said friends of the victim reported him missing on June 27 at 7:45 p.m. while the information obtained from them led to the arrest of the apprentice herbalist as well as his two accomplices aged 24 and 18.

The police boss said the head, wrists and palms of the dead student, which were roasted in a black clay pot, were recovered from the apprentice herbalist and his confessional statement led to the arrest of the others.

He also said the remains of the victim had been deposited at the mortuary for autopsy while the suspects would be prosecuted.

NAN recalls that a 400-level student at the Ipetu Ijesa Campus of UNIOSUN, Rofiat Adebisi, was also kidnapped by a driver in December 2016.

Her corpse was found some days later.

The spokesperson of the Osun Police Command, Folashade Odoro, said the protest was under control.
(NAN)