A final-year student of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, has been found dead under suspicious circumstances in her boyfriend’s apartment, sparking outrage and protests within the university community.
The Ondo State Police Command confirmed the discovery of the decomposing body of the female student in the locked room of her boyfriend, who is currently on the run.
Spokesperson of the command, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, told journalists on Saturday that the student had earlier been declared missing after she failed to deliver a N2 million cash transaction given to her by her employer, a Point of Sale (POS) business owner.
“Her disappearance was reported by her boss who said the money had not been delivered and she could not be reached,” Ayanlade explained.
Following a technical investigation, police traced her mobile phone signal to her boyfriend’s apartment in Akungba.
Officers reportedly forced entry into the locked room, where they found the victim’s lifeless and decomposing body.
According to police, initial findings suggest the victim was stabbed to death and her body left in the room for over three days. The suspect, identified as her boyfriend and an indigene of the host community, remains at large.
While confirming that the boyfriend’s landlord and other individuals suspected of aiding the crime had been arrested, Ayanlade said the name of the deceased was being withheld for now, describing the case as a sensitive incident of gender-based violence.
The gruesome discovery triggered a peaceful protest by students of the institution, who barricaded parts of the town, demanding justice and improved security for students.
Speaking during the protest, the president of the Students’ Union Government, Akeem Salami, condemned what he described as a disturbing trend of student killings in Akungba.
“We are deeply saddened and angry. This is not the first time our students are being murdered. Two of our colleagues were recently killed, and now this.
“What’s even more painful is that the suspects are usually from the host community,” Salami said.
He appealed to the state government, security agencies and the university authorities to take urgent steps to end the spate of killings and ensure the safety of all students.
Police said calm has been restored following engagement with the student leaders and assured that the suspect would be apprehended and prosecuted.
Meanwhile, civil society groups and rights advocates have joined calls for justice, urging authorities to treat the matter with urgency and transparency.
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