GREAT IFE STUDENTS' UNION ACTION COMMITTEE PETITION TO THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE ON THE RECENT ARREST AND RELEASE OF 12 SUSPECTED CAMPUS CULTISTS WITHOUT PROSECUTION

 This to bring to the foreknowledge of the Nigeria police force on the security information received by the Action Committee about three weeks ago on the arrest of twelve (12) students of the university who were suspected to belong to cult groups on campus. It was gathered that the students were arrested on Wednesday, 25th of July and Friday, 27th of July respectively after a forceful initiation was reported to the University Security Unit by the parent of one of the victims, after which the suspected cultists were apprehended and handed over to Moore police command and transferred to the State criminal investigation department, C.I.D, Oshogbo for further actions.

However, it is very surprising to us, though not unexpected, that the university administration has not deemed it fit to address the public on such pertinent security situation after three weeks of their arrest, especially now that they have been released and roaming freely on campus without any sanction.
We make bold to assert that, before the recent arrest of suspected campus cultists, several complaints about the deteriorating state of campus security and cultism insurgence have been made to appropriate quarters, to include a petition, copied to staff unions and duly submitted to the Moore Police Area Command on the murder of one Mr. Femi Omogboriowo in December 2017 on campus by neo fascist individuals. Unfortunately, series of security breaches have been recorded since then which have not been met with adequate security response from necessary quarters.
It is worthy to note that the release of the suspected campus cultists without due prosecution is a direct repetition of history, as witnessed in the 1999 experience when the  university management and the Nigeria police force refused to take necessary steps when campus cultists were apprehended and handed over to the said authorities. It was after the release and return of these cultists to campus that they became more violent and emboldened in perpetrating their evil acts, which actually culminated to the gruesome murder of five students on July 10, 1999.
While it is expected of the university administration to ensure that the university is not ridded of its hard-earned security which was gotten through the consistent struggle of the students' union, it is saddening that the university administration has not taken any action to corroborate the efforts of students, rather they provide the cultists with comfortable conditions on campus.
It is worthy to mention that while the university administration has failed to provide about 70% of students with accommodation on campus, the university administration has found it convenient to allocate some of the suspected cultists to medical floors in the campus hostels. If nothing, this act shows clearly that the university administration is not interested in combating cultism, but gives encouragement to people of questionable characters who pose threats to the security on campus.
At this point, we consider it germane and legal that the Nigerian police force take emergent intervention on the porous security situation of the Obafemi Awolowo University with proper probe and prosecution of the emerging cult activities on campus, as this situation currently threatens the security of lives and property of students and other members of the university community. This is to ensure the avoidance of dreadful history repeating itself in another form.

SIGNED: ACTION COMMITTEE, GREAT IFE STUDENTS' UNION

CC:
THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE; MOORE AREA COMMAND, ILE – IFE, OSUN STATE.
ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF UNIVERSITIES (ASUU), OAU BRANCH.

NON- ACADEMIC STAFF UNION (NASU), OAU BRANCH.

THE NIGERIAN PRESS