Ajayi Crowther: Court Frees 12 Students, Others Remanded Over Alleged Killing Of Colleague

An Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court, Ibadan, Oyo State capital, has freed twelve out of the 24 students and a security guard of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, charged for alleged murder.

Osun Defender reports that 25 students of the institution were on June 5, arraigned and charged with conspiracy, murder and negligence.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Olabisi Ogunkanmi, had ordered the students to be remanded in a correctional facility in Ibadan, pending the outcome of legal advice.

But on Monday, 12 of the students namely, Kehinde Martins, Samuel Okorie, Mustapha Khalid, Yusuf Adeniran, Joseph Areoye, Iyanuoluwa Oyelakin, Obaloluwa Olalekan, Emmanuel Adejumobi, John Daudu, Moses Abiola, Hammad Tijani and David Kolawole were discharged.

Ogunkanmi, while discharging them, held that the legal advice was out and indicated that the 12 students should not be charged with any offence as there was no evidence linking any of them with the offences alleged to have been committed.

One of the 25 defendants, who is a security guard at the university, Femi Oladoye, earlier charged with negligence of duty, was also granted bail in the sum of N250,000, with two sureties in like sum.

Ogunkanmi, thereafter, adjourned the case till July 8 for mention.

The prosecutor, CSP Funke Fawole, had earlier told the court that the defendants committed the offences on May 24 at about 9 p.m. at the aforementioned university.

Fawole said that the defendants unlawfully caused the death of one 22-year-old Jefry Akro, a student of the university, by beating him with planks and electrical wire.

She said that Oladoye, as a security guard, however, failed to prevent the aggrieved students from beating Akro to death.

The offences, according to her contravened Sections 516, 515 and 324 of the Criminal Laws of Oyo State, 2000.