Nigerians have expressed shock, anger, and disbelief over the brutal killing of Alex Timileyi, a 200-level engineering student at the Ajayi Crowther University in Oyo State, who was beaten to death by fellow students on Saturday after he was accused of stealing a mobile phone.
The student was reportedly clubbed to death inside a hostel known as Shepherd Inn within the school premises.
Witnesses say he had his hair forcibly cut before he was beaten for several hours till he became lifeless.
The Ajayi Crowther University authorities confirmed the incident and said on Saturday that it had promptly expelled some of the students involved in the incident as an immediate response to the tragic incident. It dismissed claims that the suspects were members of a cult group.
The University’s spokesperson, Femi Atoyebi, described the incident as “the unfortunate death of the student and contrary to what is trending, the university affirms that there is no cultism in the institution, just as the university has zero tolerance for any sort of anti-social vices and misconduct. It is important to stress that the expelled students do not belong to any cult group.
“What happened is that the deceased was alleged to have stolen a mobile telephone, but instead of reporting the issue to the university management, the expelled students could not control their emotions. Their actions led to the unfortunate death of the student.
“The university has taken swift action by handing over all the students involved to the Nigeria Police for investigation, with the assurance that justice will be served.”
However, Nigerians have demanded a thorough investigation and justice for the slain student.