The vice-rector of Obafemi Awolowo University (OUA), Eyitope Ogunbodede, along with other members of the leadership and some journalists, escaped this Monday afternoon from an assassination attempt allegedly committed by those whom the institution described as land grabbers whom it accused of forcibly invading the University ground on Ile. -Ife, the host community.
But the Ile-Ife community has denied the accusation and warned the university’s leadership not to lead the community into an “avoidable crisis.”
Ogunbodede, a professor of dentistry, confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES by phone, saying the attackers fired sporadically and brandished dangerous weapons such as machetes, charms, arrows, boards, among others.
The rector, who linked the development to the perennial land dispute between the university and some people within the Ile-Ife community, said the community palace was duly informed before visiting the site where the team was attacked.
The Vice Chancellor said: “We were told that there was an attempt to invade the land belonging to the university taking advantage of the opportunity of the construction of an ongoing road by the Osun state government. We quickly contacted the palace and made it clear that the university leadership would visit the site to find out the truth.
“To properly capture the situation, we asked some reporters to join us at the site that is right between the campus gate and Parakin, but as soon as our vehicles approached the scene, some thugs rushed us carrying stones and shooting at us. It was frightening.”
According to the rector, the issue of land is beyond him and that the federal ministry of education, the National University Commission (NUC) and the university’s governing council have been emphatic in how one inch of the plot belonging to The university cannot be assigned to any individual or organization.
Ile-Ife is a lawyer for the peaceful community
But in his reaction to the development, Mosis Olafare, the spokesman for the community’s monarch, Ooni of Ife, Enitan Ogunwusi, said that only the community’s legal advisor, Adeyemi Adetise, could speak on the matter.
In a telephone interview with our reporter, Mr. Adetise, a lawyer, said that he was not aware of the incident and urged the Vice Chancellor to give details of where and when the alleged attacks occurred.
According to Adetise, she arrived in Ile-Ife on Sunday and that the entire community was still at peace at the time of speaking with our reporter on Monday evening, even when she advised the university leadership to avoid putting the entire city in a avoidable situation. crisis.
Adetise said: “We are not aware of such a development and I don’t think any of that has happened. As a community advisor, I am aware that there has been a persistent crisis between the university and the community over the land issue, even before the new monarch was enthroned.
“So if the university is referring to that, I want to warn you that you should desist from rushing to the media because territorial issues are not fought on the pages of the newspapers. We have been meeting on this and even when the visitation panel came we raised the same issue. So I don’t see any reason for this media fight. “
Meanwhile, a palace official, who longed for anonymity, described the university’s accusation as malicious and said that the party that the university team allegedly visited had a highway construction company creating a new highway between Parakin and the area of the Road Seven community.
The official, who asked for evidence of the attacks, said it was wrong for the university to just go to the media as soon as it identifies the problems.
“What the preliminary investigation has shown is that roads are being built at the site and therefore if there was a crisis with someone, it could be the people who are building the road. And if people from the Ile-Ife community are accused of attacking the CV, the university should know that the campus is also part of the Ile-Ife community, so the alleged attackers could be members of the university community “Said the source.
Osun Commissioner Speaks
When contacted, Works and Transportation Commissioner Oluremi Omowaiye said his men at the site said none of this happened where they were working.
He said that a road has just been opened that was already on the route on the Parakin axis to the community’s Road Seven axis.
“What we are doing in Ile-Ife is building a circular road to facilitate traffic within the city because from Route Seven we will build another towards the Sabo axis of the city. The roads have already been awarded and are now under construction. So if there is a crisis, it has nothing to do with us, “said Omowaiye.
Background
In early April 2019, the university leadership submitted a petition to the Osun state police commissioner’s office and the office of the director of the state security service, accusing some people of poisoning the dam that supplies water. water to the university community. .
The university said the campus was in jeopardy as a result from the activities of those it described as land grabbers, claiming the attackers forcibly gained access to the dam by overpowering the security officer on duty whom it recognized. just like OA Omotosho.
The university named one of the attackers as Idowu Ogunwusi (aka Dagunduro) claiming that the group freely used dangerous weapons such as pistols, machetes and axes during the attack.
The matter came to the attention of relevant stakeholders at the time, and the Ile-Ife palace denied the allegation. Since then, brick battles had continued between the university community and the larger city of Ile-Ife.