Date: 2018-04-01

CONTRARY to the news making the rounds, the Sub Dean of Student Affairs University of Ilorin, Dr Alex Akanmu, has said that the student who was reportedly shot dead at the Okeodo-Tanke area of Ilorin by unknown gunmen, is alive and responding positively to treatment.

It was gathered that the victim of the attack, 25 years of age, is a 200 level student of Educational Technology, University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

While narrating the incidence, the student guardian disclosed that the victim was said to have had a female-related feud with an unknown group of students not registered with the Student Affairs Unit of the school.

The varsity don also said that the outlawed group had allegedly made an earlier attempt to gang beat the victim a day before the Saturday shooting of March 24, 2018, an act widely perceived as a warning signal to the victim.

In his words: "The news got to the unit about the incidence and we took appropriate action as expected. The boy in question, is a 200 level student, from the Department of Educational Technology. For security reasons, I may not be mentioning his name.

"A day before that time, he had some issues with some guys. It's about girlfriend issue. So, they came again before that time to beat him up…they came on Saturday evening. It was a kind of run for your life or escape a situation. He was shot at his hand in the process.

"Those who shot him, obviously, they could be friends before that time. But being in possession of guns, automatically indicates that he also belongs to a group that is not registered with the university.

"And for the fact that they're in possession of a gun, is a clear indication that it's a group that is surfacing. His own affiliation with them is, of course, not clear. But there's a link to a friend of his that is said to be, possibly, in a relationship with those guys…he is at large.

"He's lucky (the victim) to have survived. But as expected, the university will take appropriate action by conducting an in-depth investigation. His father has been invited, we saw him yesterday.

"And on our own side at Student Affairs, we've played the role. We've linked up with the security unit, external security and the school clinic. The idea was to move him away from the public hospital because there could be a reprisal attack.

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"That is when people started carrying rumours that the boy was shot dead because they couldn't locate him. The wisest thing we did was to make his location unknown and inaccessible.

"As I speak, he's responding very well to treatment. The other duty is left for the university to do as expected. Those who shot him, of course, you know will not sleep. However, the police are doing the needful in searching out everyone connected or involved in the recent act," he assured.

Osuji Chima is a campus reporter and an undergraduate of the University of Ilorin, Faculty of Law, Department of Int'l & Jurisprudence.