OUI Debunks Arrest of Students

The management of Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu in Ife North Local Government of Osun State has described a story trending on the net in which it was alleged that the police arrested leaders of purported ‘Vikings Confraternity (VC)’ who were threatening students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife as mischievous, misleading and aimed at tarnishing the image of Oduduwa University.

The management of Oduduwa University also described a much publicised purported plan to attack Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife by Oduduwa University students as ridiculous.

In a statement signed by the Registrar of the institution, Dr (Mrs.) Adeline Adeyemi, the management disclosed that there is no such association called ‘Vikings Confraternity’ among the various social and religious associations in the school.

She noted that those behind the story probably have some ulterior motive as the story is totally untrue as the writer did not mention the names of the alleged arrested students nor bothered to confirm the status of those arrested before going to press.

According to the statement “from our ongoing independent investigation on the matter, the five people involved; Wise Elkanah, Musa Abubakar, Fakoya Adebayo, Ayodele Samson and Anozie Emeka are not students of Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu and nothing in the charges read in court on Friday, 31st May, 2019 indicated that the case has anything to do with either Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu or Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.”

“From our interim findings, Musa Abubakar is a Youth Corp member serving at a school in Ode Omu, while there is no record of Fakoya Adebayo, Ayodele Samson, Anozie Emeka and Wise Elkanah in our students’ records even as we are still continuing with our investigations.”

"We continue to wonder why anyone would link our students with the current challenges the neighbouring Obafemi Awolowo University may be battling with. How can a university with student/staff population of 5000 attack a university with student/staff population of over 60,000 people”.

“We therefore wonder what the motives of the people behind the story could be. Could it be that they are jealous of the remarkable progress that our institution is making especially in the areas of the approval and accreditation of our courses or the achievement we are recording with our exchange programmes with some foreign universities?” the statement read.

The statement added that no private tertiary institution worth its salt would condone any form of cultism or act of indiscipline as are found in many public institutions. Oduduwa University has put in place stringent measures to ensure that students adhere strictly to socially acceptable standards.

“Nobody enters Oduduwa University without undergoing serious scrutiny. Uniformed Police men, plain cloth security men are always found at strategic places inside the University.”

The statement further said; "the Founder and Chancellor of the University, Dr AbdulRahman Adegoke Atobatele Adedoyin recently visited Cambridge University, the whole town is a University and the dream and prayer of the Maye of Yorubaland is to turn Ile-Ife and its environs to a varsity town like the Cambridge University. Already, a look round Ile-Ife can point to so many developments cropping up here and there in the name of Oduduwa University apart from unbelievable development inside the University.”

“We therefore use this medium to assure our students’ parents and guardians that the safety of their wards is guaranteed and that our school is free of any anti-social activity and we shall continue to turn out as usual, graduates that are worthy not only in learning but also in character.”