OAU suspends two student union leaders over bloody clash

Two students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, have been indefinitely suspended for their alleged violent conduct.

The students, Jacob Tosin Grace and Adedayo Afolabi Emmanuel, are the vice-president and director of socials of the student union council, respectively.

Jacob is popularly known as Emerald while Emmanuel is known among students as Lamba.

TheCable Lifestyle learnt that the pair got involved in a physical altercation during a meeting on how to expend the sum of N3.8m released to the union by the school management.

According to a member of the union who witnessed the incident, “Emerald was angry that we deferred the execution of the provision of freshers’ package till the time the main fund for this parliamentary session is disbursed”.

Displeased with the intention of her colleagues towards the disbursement of the funds, Jacob(Emerald) was said to have attempted to leave the meeting in annoyance but was prevented by Emmanuel(Lamba).

“Lamba tried to stop her from exiting the venue of the meeting. He held her on both shoulders, so she started saying that Lamba was harassing her. That said, Lamba left her and moved away. She went to meet him again, beating him. Lamba returned the beating and we separated them.”

Despite being initially separated, the pair would again get entangled and sustain injuries from the subsequent confrontation.

A statement released on Friday by D.O. Awoyemi, OAU registrar, conveyed the notice of their suspension.

It read in part: “Following a report of physical manhandling received by the vice-chancellor involving two members of the students union central executive council on September 5, the vice chancellor is satisfied that the code of conduct for the university community has been breached.

“He has therefore decided to suspend the students alleged to be involved in the incidence until a full investigation is conducted to determine their level of culpability.”