Terrified students of the Ogun State-based Tai Solarin University of Education have cried out to the state government over recent robbery attacks in their host communities.
The students said some unknown criminals in Ijebu Ode were responsible for the attacks.
In an open letter addressed to the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, and co-signed by the Students’ Union President, Tomide Abidakun, and General Secretary, Kehinde Olalekan, on Thursday, the students called for government’s intervention.
The students, who recounted how insecurity was causing fear and affecting their studies, said they get ambushed, robbed, and sustain injuries from the violent attacks.
According to their letter, it restricts most of them from moving freely in the area
“This crisis began to escalate on Wednesday, May 8, 2025, with an armed robbery reported around 10:30 PM at the Council junction, a key route leading into our campus.
“That night, students were ambushed, beaten, and robbed of their mobile phones, ATM cards, power generators, and even had their accounts emptied at gunpoint.
“Since then, we have received daily reports of robberies and harassment, especially during the ongoing e-tests,” the letter partly reads.
The students also criticised security agencies in the state, including the Ogun Police Command, So-Safe Corps, and the Amotekun Security Network of inaction.
They claimed that they get heartbreaking responses, despite multiple reports and cries for help, as there has been no consistent security patrol or visible protection.
“We are often met with disappointing excuses such as,” No fuel for the patrol vehicle”, “Our bike is faulty”, “Mobilise us first”.
“In several painful instances, students have been extorted by security personnel, turning victims into funders of their own safety.
“It is heartbreaking to witness law enforcement agencies switch roles, leaving students to organise their own local surveillance, while those officially responsible sleep or look away,” the statement noted.
The students acknowledged the concerns of the community leaders with the provision of local vigilantes, but they noted that the security men were poorly equipped and inefficient to combat the kind of armed threat in the area.
They, therefore, appealled to the state government to deploy skilled security personnel by creating a dedicated joint task force comprising the Police, So-Safe, and Amotekun to conduct daily patrols.
The Ogun students also threatened to stage a mass protest if the silence from both the government and security agencies continued.
The spokesperson for Ogun Police Command, Omolola Oguntola, could, however, not be reached to comment on the issue.