Timothy Agbor, Osogbo
Tragedy has befallen Obafemi Awolowo University community in Ile-Ife as a 300-level student of the institution, Abiodun Babalola bled to death at the University teaching hospital after being attacked by armed robbers.
Babalola, from the department of Management & Accounting, Faculty of Administration, was said to have visited his classmates on Friday at Adam and Eve hostel, one of the hostels situated off- campus, to participate in group discussion meant for SSC 202 Test scheduled to hold the following day, Saturday, 22nd December 2018.
While Babalola and his mates were in their room studying, it was gathered that some unknown men, suspected to be armed robbers broke in and attacked them.
During the robbery attack at Adam and Eve, an out of campus students residential hostel, along Parakin-Ede road axis of Ile Ife, Osun State, Babalola, popularly known as Termur was said to have been severely macheted by the dare devil hoodlums.
Other students were said to have been brutalised also. An eyewitness account revealed that few minutes after the armed robbers had gained entrance to the room, they hit Babalola with cutlass on his dead which led to profuse bleeding.
The source said there was no vehicle to rush Babalola to the hospital, a situation that resulted to his eventual death.
The eyewitness stated that the victim was first taken on a bike before the University Chief Security officer brought his private car to pick the victim along the road.
It was further learnt that the victim was initially taken to the university health centre before being transfered to Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex around 3am on Saturday.
An unconfirmed report stated that the health officials at the OAUTHC didn’t attend to Babalola promptly. It was said that medical officials on duty were demanding for money to purchase blood for the victim but students who were around couldn’t raise the money.
This development was said to have left the victim unattended to for more than 5 hours.
It was gathered that the victim was later attended to after 8am before he gave up the ghost around 9am on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the authorities of the University have condoled with the parents and family members of Babalola, who died as a result of injuries he sustained during the attack.
A release by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Abiodun Olarewaju, stated that the students were attacked in the wee hours of Saturday with dangerous weapons by some unknown persons who inflicted varying degrees of injuries on the hapless students before carting away their money, phones and other valuables.
The release stated that the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, expressed agony in the shocking demise of Babalola saying people should place the fear of God far and above worldly materials.
He, thereafter, on behalf of the Council, Senate, Staff, Students and the entire University Community, prayed that the Lord would grant eternal rest to the late Abiodun Babalola and the parents and family members the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
Also condoling the deceased’s parents and other students, the executive council of Nigeria Universities Accounting Students Association, OAU, said it was a bad occurrence to have lost one of the archetypes in the association. The association stated the victim was studious.