OAU Condemns Armed Robbery Attack on Students, Demands Stronger Security Around Off-Campus Hostels

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The management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, has condemned the armed robbery attack on some of its students by suspected criminals at a private hostel near the campus.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the University’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, the incident took place on Monday, October 20, 2025, when armed men invaded Oreoluwa Hostel, located within Moremi Estate in Ile-Ife metropolis.

The robbers were said to have carted away valuables and injured several students during the late-night assault, which lasted from 10:35 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Olarewaju described the incident as “unfortunate and unacceptable” and commended the swift intervention of Students’ Union officials, who immediately took the injured students to the University Health and Medical Centre.

He confirmed that three students sustained machete-related injuries and received prompt treatment. Those affected were identified as 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 the Department of Mathematics.

“At the Health Centre, the injured students who sustained deep machete cuts to the head and hands were promptly attended to,” Olarewaju said, adding that Okemiga was also beaten but did not suffer any open wounds.

Reacting to the attack, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, condemned the incident and praised the quick response of officers from the Nigerian Police, A Division, Ile-Ife, and Oke-Otubu Division, Modakeke.

He called on security agencies, particularly the Nigerian Police and the Department of State Services (DSS), to step up patrols around student residential areas to prevent further attacks.

Bamire also appealed to stakeholders and philanthropists to assist in funding the construction of additional hostels within the campus, saying that improved accommodation would help the university better monitor and protect its students.

“We wish the injured students a speedy recovery and thank God for sparing their lives,” he said.

The Osun State Police Command confirmed the attack, with its spokesperson, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, assuring that efforts were ongoing to apprehend those responsible for what he described as a “dastardly act.”