Students union protests over incessant rape, killings in oyo state

Segun Showunmi in Ibadan

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Monday staged a peaceful protest over incessant killing and raping of students in Akinyele area of Ibadan, Oyo State, saying that the relocation of Oyo State Police Commissioner to the area has not yielded any result.

Penpushing reports that the association, which also include members of the Federation of Akinyele Local Government Students union carried placards bearing various inscriptions such as ‘Real Men Don’t Rape’, No justice ,No Peace’ and Stop Giving Emotional Trauma’.

The placards also reads, ‘Stop Killing Our Women, Our Dreams’, I Don’t Want To Be Next Victim’s, Students Demand Justice’, and a host of others, stressing that the government has not done enough in responding to the security challenges in the area.

Penpushing further reports that, the President of Federation Akinyele Student Union, Olawale Oladoja while speaking  bemoaned the lax security situation of the area and attitude of security agents.

“We are embarking on this protest to show our displeasure to these incessant rapes. We have recorded four rape cases in this local government. Barakat Bello was killed. Grace was killed. Another one occurred at Sasa. We have found many situations where people were killed without reporting’, he noted.

“We have reached out to security agencies. Last week we heard that the Commissioner of Police relocated to this local government, the truth of the matter is that it has not translated to any improvement in the security of the local government’.

‘Though I can’t confirm it but we heard it in the news. Some of these things we heard in the news are fake.  They only tell us what they like. If truly he relocated, we should feel the effects.  So, we want a drastic response on this insecurity.  As we speak now, nobody has been caught by the security agents. It is very sad’.

“The one that happened last happened at Idi-Ori. It is not a village. It is a densely populated area. We don’t know why this kind of things will be happening in such a place?, the students leader emphasised

Penpushing also reports that Oloja, who was formerly Secretary-General of the students body, Southwest Zone, said:”It is imperative to lend our voice to rape and suspected ritual killings in this local government. We also want to tell the government and security forces to beef up security to ensure that those carrying out this heinous act are apprehended and Justice is served to them.

“We had information that the Commissioner of Police has relocated to the local government since the killing of  Azeezat but unfortunately after the relocation of the police commissioner we still have these killings. The implication is that these criminals are still in this local government. They should fish out the criminals so that Akinyele can be safe once again”.

Penpushing recalled that Barakat Bello, an 18-year-old undergraduate of Federal College of Animal and Health Production, Apata, Ibadan was raped to death earlier this month in Akinyele local government.

The killing did not stop, following killing of another victim few days after, Azeezat Somuyiwa, a post graduate student of the University of Ibadan (UI) who was 7-month old pregnant, while in another sad development  a 21yrs old female student of  Oke Ogun Polytechnic, Saki, Grace Oshiagwuc, was allegedly raped to death in Akinyele area of Ibadan.