The management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, has condemned the recent attack on some of its students by suspected armed robbers.
In a statement issued , the University’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, described the incident as unfortunate and unacceptable, noting that it occurred Earlier this week, at Oreoluwa Hostel, located within Moremi Estate in Ile-Ife metropolis.
According to him, the assailants stormed the hostel between 10:35 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., dispossessing students of their valuables and inflicting injuries on some of them.
Olarewaju commended the Students’ Union officials for their swift action in conveying the injured victims to the University Health and Medical Centre, where they received immediate treatment.
Three students, Ogedengbe Emmanuel Oluwafemi and Emmanuel Akinribiye, both Part Four students of the Department of Management and Accounting, and Olalekan David Okemiga, a final-year student of Mathematics sustained injuries during the attack.
While the first two suffered deep machete cuts to the head and hands, Okemiga was beaten but did not sustain open wounds.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, condemned the attack and praised the prompt response of officers from the Nigeria Police Force, A Division, Ile-Ife, and Oke-Otubu Division, Modakeke.
He urged security agencies, especially the police and DSS, to intensify patrols around student residential areas and appealed to philanthropists to support the construction of more hostels within the campus to enhance safety.
The Osun State Police Command, through its spokesperson DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the incident and assured that efforts were underway to apprehend the culprits.