Ondo varsity shut over violence fears

Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State was yesterday shut indefinitely.

This followed fears that violence might erupt on the campus over the accident which occurred on Saturday, claiming lives.

Students and residents had protested, disrupting vehicular movement, over Saturday’s killing of an unspecified number of persons in a crash involving a truck conveying cement from Kogi State.

The protesters prevented a delegation sent by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu from entering the community to assess the situation.

The entourage was said to have been led by Akeredolu’s Chief of Staff, Mr Olugbenga Ale and the Pro-Chancellor of the university, Dr Tunji Abayomi, among others.

The demonstrators insisted that they wanted to see the governor.

They stopped the delegation at Iwaro junction and accused the government of making no effort to stop incessant accidents on the highway linking Ondo and Kogi states on the Akungba-Akoko axis.

Pleas by Agriculture Commissioner Otunba Gboyega Adefarati were not heeded to.

Sources said another protest was being planned, which prompted the authority to close down the school yesterday until further notice.

A truck on Saturday rammed into a shopping area close to the entrance gate of the institution, killing everybody within the area.

Among the victims were three siblings and a former Students’ Union president, Comrade Adesomoju Samuel Tobi, popularly called Sampraise.

Unconfirmed report said the mother of the three siblings slumped and died when she heard about the accident.

It was gathered that the university did not know the number of students involved in the accident because the recovered bodies were covered with cement and because other persons were inside shops when the accident occurred.

A circular to students dated January 23 and signed by Acting Registrar Opeoluwa Akinfemiwa said the school was shut because of protest by the students.

It urged students to vacate the campus latest 6 pm yesterday.

Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Olugbenga Ige described the crash as a tragedy to the host community, the university and students at large.

He said the students have been placated not to take the law into their hands.

Ige said the solution to the incessant accidents was for the hilly highway to be brought down, adding that heavy-duty trucks should be barred from plying the route.