Some aggrieved students of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), have cried out over what they suspect were attempts to smear the image of Atanda Modupe Deborah, the female student of the institution, whose body was discovered in a shallow grave near the Faculty of Pharmacy, on Wednesday after she was brutally murdered by yet to be ascertained assailants.

Though the police say they had arrested about 10 suspects, the students, some of them, associates and classmates of the deceased, believe that the attempt to skew the narrative of the circumstances surrounding her death, could be a way of depicting her as a bad person, thus blaming her for the fate she faced.

There had been narratives surrounding the tight wears with which she was covered when her body was exhumed from the grave after it was discovered by a search party, which some people claimed she was wearing before her attack, suggesting that such scanty dressing must have invited her killers.

But in a detailed account by one to the students, who saw her last, such a narrative was far from the truth as she was well covered and had never been known to indulge in untoward behaviours, being a devout Christian, adding that contrary to the allegation that she went out at night, she only stayed back in the classroom to read after the day’s lectured in the afternoon.

The students, who expressed worries about the sudden lukewarm attitude of the authorities of the institution, including the student’s union of the university, demanded security on campus, saying there was no crime in their deciding to move around the compound to pursue their academic dreams.

The students wrote: “We want to give detailed information about the news trending online right now about FUOYE. We are not doing this for clout but simply want justice to be served, correct misinformation and those questioning her character. Now, this unfortunate incident surrounding the death of our friend and colleague, Miss ATANDA MODUPE DEBORAH started on Tuesday when she went to read after classes ended in the afternoon at about 1:30pm in one of the halls close to the faculty and didn’t return in the evening to the private hostel accommodation where she stays located on campus which is about a five-minute walk from the faculty.

“Prior to this, the hostel did not provide light for the students in that residence despite their 24hr light claim so our phones were low and hers was most likely dead because her roommates and friends tried reaching out to her but her line was switched off.

“The situation was reported by her roommates and some friends living in the same hostel to the hostel management which then resulted to some of her departmental colleagues starting up a small search party at about 10:00a.m on Wednesday.

“An e-poster was made to declare her missing and was shared across student platforms. During the search, some of her things were recovered such as: her earrings, a button of her shirt, the buckle from her shoe and her notes strewn about nearby locations.

“After the discovery of her things, a full-blown search was carried out as the SUG and school management eventually got involved which led to a later discovery of her body in a shallow grave around the faculty. She was decently dressed in a blouse and skirt which was taken off of her as she was in her tight shorts as at the time of discovery of her body. She was a God-fearing person and a bright student who was on a 4point CGPA.

“WE ARE CRYING OUT BECAUSE WE NEED JUSTICE FOR MODUPE! GOING TO READ IN A CLASSROOM IS NOT A CRIME. WE AS STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO FEEL SAFE TO MOVE AROUND WITHIN THE CAMPUS! STUDYING TO BE THE BEST IS NOT A CRIME. THE SCHOOL SYSTEM SHOULD DO RIGHT BY US AS EDUCATION IS SUPPOSED TO IMPROVE OUR LIVES! We appeal that you pull as much attention to this case as possible. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Tragedy has struck at Federal University, Oye Ekiti, in Ekiti State, following the discovery of the body of an 18-year-old female student in a freshly dug grave, after a search party, combed the premises for several hours after she was declared missing.

The 200-level Stream A, nursing student, was said to have gone missing after she decided to stay back for extra reading on Tuesday afternoon, but did not return to her hostel, leading to a search for her which yielded no result immediately, until the party eventually discovered her body buried in a shallow grave at the back of one of the faculties in the institution’s premises, late Wednesday.

The danger signals had surfaced after some tell-tale signs were said to have been discovered earlier in the day, when one of her shoes and an ear-ring were discovered somewhere within the premises, which is said to be surrounded by thick forests.

Distraught students, who bewailed the incident, said the young lady had some of her siblings in the university, which was founded by former President Goodluck Jonathan, as part of his educational policy of establishing a federal university in every state of Nigeria, who joined in the search.

To underscore the seriousness of the situation, a security cordon is said to have been thrown around the school with armed security personnel, said to have taken over the premises to get to the root of the matter, while students have been ordered to vacate the institution.

A statement signed by Muftau Ibrahim, Registrar of the institution, ordering the students out of the school, said the students should return home for now to await a new resumption date, while security operatives engage in a thorough job of getting to the root of the matter, adding that some arrests had already been made.

The statement, said: “The university management has received the case of Ms Modupe Deborah Atanda, who was reported missing, Wednesday, 6^th September 2023, and management is saddened at the turn of events.

“It is pertinent to promptly inform the university community that immediate steps have been taken in that regard, as all national security personnel have been drafted to handle the situation. As a matter of fact, several arrests have been made of suspects.

“To this end, all students (Stream A and any other full-time student still on any of the university’s campuses, are hereby directed to vacate the premises with immediate effect, to ensure a proper, holistic, and unimpeded thorough investigations, please.

“It is worthy of note that armed security personnel have been deployed for patrol surveillance and security purposes. Rest assured that all steps would be taken by the university to fish out any and all culpable persons and they shall face the full and unmitigated consequences of their action(s).

“A new resumption date for all students would be conveyed accordingly. We regret all inconveniences these may have caused. Thank you.”

Police in Lagos are currently on the manhunt for one Collins Etaredafe, popularly known as Top Boy, who has gone into hiding after being linked to the killing of two-yet-to-be-identified Bureau-De-Change operators at his residence in the Lekki area of Lagos State.

The PUNCH is reporting that the musician, was with a yet-to-be-identified friend, invited the BDC operators into his apartment on March 18, the same day of the governorship and House of Assembly election, under the guise of changing some dollars, but ended up killing them and subsequently dumped their bodies in a drainage located in front of his residence.

The report, quoted a facility manager in the area, Paul Omotosho, as saying the agent in charge of the building informed him that some neighbours, upon discovering the corpses in the drainage, traced some drops of blood to the apartment of the musician.

Omotosho, who is currently in detention narrated his experience thus: “I knew Etaredafe through his girlfriend, Evelyn, about three years ago when she contacted me that he needed an apartment. That was how he got my number. He called me, said he stays in Delta State, and that he wants to book a short-let apartment. That was how he became a regular client.

“Sometimes he would claim he does not know Lagos and will send money to my account to help him get some items and send them to him. In February 2022, he said he wanted to secure an apartment where his mum would be living in Lagos; he said he wanted to surprise her with the apartment as she has not been to Lagos before.

“I had to reach out to a fellow agent who assisted me in getting the apartment. After that, the agent sent me a form to fill in the details of the occupant but when I asked for the details of his mum, he said she did not have any means of identification. Out of the trust I had for him as a regular client, I foolishly provided someone’s details to keep the place for him and since then, my thinking is that his mother had moved in.”

Omotosho, who said he was at home when the agent in charge of the singer’s apartment had been living in the place of his mother, called to inform him that he had allegedly killed the BDC operators, added further: “The agent called me that Etaredafe had killed two people in his apartment. He also said he dumped their corpses outside the gate and ran away. The agent said the blood of the deceased victims was traced to his apartment and later discovered that the people the musician killed were Bureau-De-Change operators. I was told he invited them to his apartment because he wanted to change dollars before killing them.

“In a bid to locate Etaredafe’s whereabouts, I contacted his girlfriend who said she did not know any address of his relatives. She later called me on Monday and asked if I heard that Etaredafe killed two people in his house and ran away. She said they only met on social media and she does not know where he or his family lives.”

Omotosho, who was invited for questioning, by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command, attached to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Yaba, has been in detention since Friday, alongside two other agents that helped him to secure the apartment.

Benjamin Hundeyin, Superintendent of Police and spokesman of the command, who confirmed the incident, was quoted in the report as saying: “The main suspects are on the run. No part of the deceased victims’ bodies was cut off. The case is at the SCID and is progressing. The security man is in custody and is assisting with the investigation.”