Ajayi Crowther student: Niger Delta youth, NANS demand autopsy report

By AmforGod J. Olisa

The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the Niger Delta Youth Leaders Front have called for an autopsy report on the death of Jeffrey Chamuke Akron, a Mechanical Engineering student at Ajayi Crowther University. Akron was allegedly beaten to death by fellow students over accusations of phone theft.

Twenty-five students, aged between 18 and 34, were arraigned on Wednesday before the Chief Magistrate Court in Oyo State in connection with the murder. They have been remanded in prison until July 8 pending trial.

The incident reportedly took place at the Shepherd Inn hostel within the university premises, where Akron was allegedly beaten from 6 pm on Friday until about 10 am on Saturday.

NANS and the Niger Delta Youth Leaders protested at the university on Wednesday, demanding justice for the slain student, who was also an Itsekiri prince from Warri, Delta State. Comrade Lucky Emonefe, NANS Universal President, and Honourable Chukwutem Nwogor, President of the Niger Delta Youth Leaders Front, led the protest and spoke to journalists.

They questioned the identities of the 25 suspects arraigned in court, accusing the police and the university management of attempting to shield the real culprits. They demanded the true identities of the students involved, the autopsy report, and a meeting between the university management and Akron’s immediate family.

Honourable Nwogor criticized the living conditions at the hostel, describing them as uninhabitable. He also condemned the Minister of Education, Honourable Tahir Mamman, for his indifference since the incident occurred.

“On our visit to Ajayi Crowther, it was shameful to see the state of the hostel. The focus seems to be on money rather than the safety of students. Proper facilities should be in place before approving a school to have a hostel,” Nwogor said. “Now that this unfortunate incident has happened, the school is rushing to fix the hostel. It’s also shameful that neither the Oyo State Commissioner for Education nor the Minister has visited the scene or contacted the family. The killing of this innocent boy was barbaric, and the hostel is uninhabitable.”

In addition to NANS and the Niger Delta Youth Leaders, Itsekiri elders also visited the university on Wednesday. Led by an uncle of the deceased, Prince Yemi Emiko, the elders inspected the hostel where Akron was allegedly beaten and met with the school management. They also visited the morgue where Akron’s body is being kept.