The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the Niger Delta Youth Leaders Front have demanded an autopsy report on the slain Mechanical Engineering student of Ajayi Crowther University, Jeffery Chamuke Akron.
The demand followed suspicions that the real culprits may not have been arrested after Akron was beaten to death by his colleagues over an allegation of phone theft.
Meanwhile, 25 suspected students, aged 18-34, were arraigned on Wednesday before the Chief Magistrate Court in Oyo State and were remanded in a custodial center until July 8 pending trial.
The late Akron, who resided in a hostel on the institution’s premises known as Shepherd Inn, was said to have been tortured by his colleagues from 6 pm on Friday to about 10 am on Saturday.
Wednesday’s visit to the university by the leadership of NANS was a protest to force security agents to conduct an autopsy on the deceased, who was an Itsekiri prince from Warri, Delta State, with the aim of unraveling the true identity of those involved in the murder.
Demanding justice for the late Jeffery Chamuke Akron, Comrade Lucky Emonefe, NANS Universal President, and Honourable Chukwutem Nwogor, President of the Niger Delta Youth Leaders Front, spoke with journalists and confirmed their visit to the institution.
They doubted the identity of the 25 suspects arraigned at the Magistrate Court in Oyo and accused some security agents and the school management of attempting to shield the real murderers of the deceased.
Honourable Chukwutem Nwogor, who maintained that the hostel where students are being kept at Ajayi Crowther University was uninhabitable, also indicted the Minister of Education for indifference since the unfortunate incident happened.
They called on the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, to show capacity in regulating private and public universities and to step into the unfortunate incident at the institution.
He said, “On our visitation to Ajayi Crowther on Wednesday, if you visit the hostel of the school, it is shameful to the National University Commission.
“What people are just interested in is money, not thinking about the safety of the people. I don’t see any reason why proper facilities are not being put in place before you can approve such a school to have a hostel.
“Now that this unfortunate incident has happened, the school is running helter-skelter to fix the hostel.
“It is also shameful that till this moment, neither the Commissioner for Education for Oyo State nor the Minister has visited the scene or put a call to the family of the late student. What is the reason why you are in government? It is to protect lives and property.
“The killing of the innocent boy was barbaric. That hostel is uninhabitable.”
Investigation revealed that apart from NANS and the Niger Delta Youth Leaders, Itsekiri elders stormed the institution last Wednesday.
Led by an uncle of the deceased, Prince Yemi Emiko, the elders visited the hostel where the late prince was allegedly beaten to death and also had a meeting with the school management.
They also visited the morgue where the body of the deceased was said to have been kept.
Ajayi Crowther University: Niger Delta Youth, NANS demand autopsy report of dead student