Protesters shut down student union building over colleague’s death

The campus of the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife on Wednesday was engulfed by student protest.

The student protest follows the lynching of Okolie Arinze, a 500-level Civil Engineering student of the institution, late on Monday.

Newsmen reliably gathered that the protesting students stormed the students’ union building, shutting it down.

Arinze, after being subjected to torture on allegation of stealing a mobile phone in Awo Hall of the university, was brought in dead at the Emergency Medicine Centre of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife on Tuesday.

The University management, in its reaction, has condemned the incident.

In a statement by Abiodun Olanrewaju, the University Public Relations Officer, and obtained by newsmen, the school stated that the Vice Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, has set up a committee to unravel the circumstances that led to this incident.

“The action of the mob, being a violation of the law of the country and of the University regulations, has been reported to the police who have commenced investigations,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, a release signed by all presidents in the Faculty of Technology indicated that there would be a peaceful protest to express their grievances and hold all parties involved accountable.