OAU Management Shuts School, Order Students to Vacate Hostels

Following the protest embarked upon by students of Obafemi Awolowo University against the death of their colleague, management has shut the school.

It also suspended the swearing in of the newly elected Students’ Union and asked students to vacate their halls of residence.

A student Adesina Aisat, 24, died after a brief illness. This prompted the students of Obafemi Awolowo University to embark on protesting, believing that Aisha died because the school clinic did not attend to her appropriately.

However, the management expressed disappointment over the uncontrolled and continuous protest by the students despite efforts to appease them.

A release by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Abiodun Olarewaju, stated that the Management understands the grief resulting from this untimely death within the community and sympathises with the parents, friends, colleagues and the entire students of the University on this sad loss, and prays for the repose of her soul.

“However, Management condemns in strong terms the continuous and uncontrolled protests by the students culminating in unbridled brigandage, blocking the Ife/Ibadan and Ife/Ede highways and other adjoining roads that could be used as alternative routes, and engaging in other acts that are detrimental to their health and the safety of the generality of the people.

“Therefore, having exhausted all necessary avenues to call the students to order and allow normalcy to return to the Campus and its environs, the authorities of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, have accordingly closed down the School until further notice. This is to forestall further breakdown of law and order.

“In view of this, all students are hereby directed to vacate their halls of residence and the Campus latest by 12:00 noon on Saturday, 2nd October, 2021.

“Consequently, the swearing-in of the newly elected Students’ Union officials has been put on hold, pending a review of the situation.

“In the meantime, the University management has put in place the machinery to unravel the circumstances surrounding the immediate and remote cause(s) of the crisis”, reads the statement.