OAU confirms arrest of murder suspects

The management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has reopened New Buka, the place on campus where Adewumi Omoboriowo was murdered on November 30 following what the school described as “a fight that went out of hand”.

The place was closed following the murder incident.

However, the Chief Security Officer of the university, Babatunde Oyasode, told our correspondent on Sunday that the New Buka had been reopened, as students returned to the school on Wednesday.

Our correspondent who visited New Buka confirmed this development.

Mr. Onosode also said the murder suspects had been arrested.

“We’ve been able to arrest the culprits,” he said. “Three people perpetrated the act and they have been referred to the state CID in Osogbo.

“From there, they will be charged to court. One among them is addressed as Yinka, the other person is Tobi Akinyemi and one Sodiq who hit the victim.”

He continued: “The university should not continue to hold business men and women using the place to ransom. But we have applied some conditions for the opening of the place where the incident occurred.

“Part of the condition is that no beer parlour should sell alcohol beyond 13%, and nobody should smoke in the Buka. Starting from this moment, the illumination of the market must start. The university also resolved that there should be provision for security men which involves issuing of tally to those that patronise the spot.

“The bar shops selling alcohol will be regularising their license yearly and also those with tinted glasses on their doors have been instructed to remove them. After they have fulfilled all these conditions we decided to open the Buka.”

Our our checks revealed the conditions mentioned by the CSO are yet to be implemented.

“We don’t have any tally for visitors. All we do is to assess their look and allow them in to any bar of their choice. No tally is available,” said a security operative, identified as Mr. Bello.

Also, findings revealed that some of the bars still sell drinks with more 13 per cent alcoholic content.

An attendant at Grassroots Spot, a bar at the Buka, told our correspondent: “It may be difficult for those laws to bind on sellers. We sell alcohol far beyond 13 per cent and not just here. Most of the bars in New Buka do.”