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The Senate of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, Osun State, has directed the management of the university to set up an independent committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the protests embarked upon by students of the institution last week.
The death of Aisha Adesina, a 400-level student in the Department of Foreign Languages, which occurred last Thursday, led to students’ unrest on the campus of the varsity, forcing the management to shut down the institution and asking the students to vacate their halls of residence latest by Saturday, October 2.
Rising from its meeting, the Senate of the university in a statement signed by the Registrar, Margaret Omosule, and made available to newsmen on Wednesday by the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Abiodun Olanrewaju, commended the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, for acting promptly to suspend students’ activities in the wake of the protests.
The statement read in part:“Senate unequivocally, condemned the students’ action in its entirety and frowned at the blocking of the Ife/lbadan and Ife/Ede highways and other adjoining roads.
“Senate mandated the university management to set up an independent committee to look into the immediate and remote cause(s) of students’ protest with a view to preventing any future occurrence. The committee is to submit its report within two weeks.”
Meanwhile, Congress of University Academics, OAU chapter, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, implored the management to investigate the cause of the crisis in order to bring stability and peaceful coexistence to the university community.