Nigerians have taken to the microblogging site X.com to express their shock, anger, and disbelief over the brutal death of Alex Timileyi, a 200-level engineering student at the Ajayi Crowther University in Oyo State, who was clubbed to death by his colleague on Saturday over a claim that he stole a mobile phone.
The student was allegedly beaten to death inside a hostel known as Shepherd Inn on the school premises.
After he was allegedly discovered in possession of the stolen cell phone, PUNCH Metro reported that his attackers had allegedly had his (the deceased) hair forcibly shaved.
A source in the school claimed that the deceased was beaten from 6 p.m. on Friday to about 10 a.m. on Saturday.
“They said they caught him with a stolen phone. They started beating him from 6 p.m. yesterday (Friday) until he died about 10 a.m. today (Saturday).
“The incident happened at ‘Shepherd Inn’. It’s like a lodge or a hostel now. They also shaved the hair of the guy before beating him,” he said.
Two different videos that were shared with our correspondent on Saturday night showed the deceased rolling on the hostel floor while other students were beating him with sticks.
In one of the videos, one of the students could be heard encouraging the other students to smack the deceased “harder, harder.”
The varsity said on Saturday that it had expelled some of the students who had been involved in the incident that resulted in their colleague’s death as a prompt response to the situation while also dismissing the claim that the suspects were members of a cult group.
The school, through its spokesperson, Femi Atoyebi, described the incident as “the unfortunate death of the student.”
The varsity stated, “Contrary to what is trending, the university affirms that there is no cultism in the institution, just as the university has zero tolerance for any sort of anti-social vices and misconduct. It is important to stress that the expelled students do not belong to any cult group.
“What actually happened is that the deceased was alleged to have stolen a mobile telephone, but instead of reporting the issue to the university management, the expelled students could not control their emotions. Their actions led to the unfortunate death of the student.
“The university has taken swift action by handing over all the students involved to the Nigeria Police Force for investigation, with the assurance that justice will be served.” [The Punch]
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