The State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of the Osun State Command of the Nigerian Police has taken charge of the investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of a 200th grade student from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU)Ile-Ife, Heritage Ajibola, on Wednesday.
PREMIUM TIMES had reported how Miss Ajibola from the Department of Linguistics and African Languages slipped into the septic tank at a privately owned BVER hostel located in an area called the student village on campus.
A statement released by the university on Friday also revealed that an unnamed owner of the private hostel has been questioned.
The statement, which was signed by the university’s public relations office, Abiodun Olarewaju, read in part: “Meanwhile, the owner of the private hostel, BVER, where the incident occurred, received an inquiry from the University Directorate and your reply is being waited
“It should be noted that all hostels in the student village are privately owned and not under the control of the University. Currently, the University Directorate only has supervisory functions in these private shelters”.
Olarewaju said the incident saddened the university leadership, describing it as tragic, devastating, unfortunate and unacceptable.
background
This newspaper reported that the work to rescue the deceased alive lasted up to an hour but she was confirmed dead at the institution’s teaching hospital the same day.
Students and friends of the deceased took to Twitter to demand justice, using the hashtag #JusticeForHeritage.
The students had staged a massive protest on October 1, 2021 against the alleged negligence on the part of the management of the institution’s health center, which caused the death of a final year student from the Department of Foreign Languages, Aisha Adesina.
However, the university had denied the allegation as of the time the incident occurred.