Hoodlums Attack OAU VC, Journalists In Ife

Hoodlums on Monday attacked the Vice-Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede, some management staff and journalists.

The incident occurred at about 2:55pm during a visit to a hostel built by the school.

It was learnt that the university land where the hostel was built is in dispute.

When the school entourage was about to access the route leading to the hostel, scores of hoodlums armed with guns, cutlasses, axes and other dangerous weapons waylaid the vehicles and threatened to kill anybody who attempts to access the route.

The hoodlums were shooting and hitting the vehicles in the VC’s entourage numbering about six with axes and cutlasses.

A journalist’s camera was damaged at the scene.

The VC and the Public Relations Officers, Abiodun Olarewaju, escaped the attack.

The drivers made a hurried U-turn from the scene to prevent further attack.

Prof Ogunbodede said: “We have been to the area where the disputed land is.

It is part of the gazetted land of the university.

“We have a hostel there which has been completed for over two and half years but we have not been able to occupy the place.

“I don’t want to lose any of our students. We are short of accommodation for our students but it’s not worth the lives of our students.

“You can see that it is only God that saved us today. You can see the shooting and all sorts of things but we thank God that we all survived it.

“We will try as much as possible to continue to maintain peace because the university can not continue to exist without the community.

“We will try as much as possible to continue to reach a perfect understanding with the community.”