By; Odeyemi Samuel, Akure.
The people of Akungba in Akoko South-West Local Government Area of Ondo State were thrown into confusion at early honours of Saturday following the protest staged by the students of Adekunle Ajasin University over the death of their colleague.
It was reliably gathered that a 200 level student, identified as Ojo Afolabi Daniel in the department of Economic Education of the institution and also a commercial motorcyclist in the town was killed by a vehicle.
A source said the deceased, who sponsored himself from the proceeds made from his okada business, while riding the motorcycle on the Owo-Ikare Expressway on Friday night was allegedly hit by a high-speed vehicle.
It was gathered that the deceased died in the school ambulance on the way to the Federal Medical Centre, where he was being rushed to.
The death of the student was said to have ignited the protest on Saturday as the students blamed the school authority for not providing adequate facilities in the school ambulance.
One of the protesters said “the school has an ambulance without an oxygen, if there was an oxygen in the ambulance, our colleague would not have died before getting to Owo, which is less than 30 minutes journey from Akungba”
During the protest, the angry students barricaded the Ikare-Owo Expressway, preventing vehicular movements, thereby causing traffic gridlock for several hours while bonfires were also set at many places on the expressway.
Social and economic activities were also said to be affected as all the shops on the affected areas were under lock and key.
An eyewitness said that men of the Ondo State Police Command and other security agents were present at the scene of the demonstration, patrolling, to prevent breakdown of law and order.
The Public Relations Officer of the state Police Command, Mr. Femi Joseph was not available for comment at press time as his telephone was switched off when a call was put across to him.
In his reaction, however, the Public Relations Officer of the AAUA, Mr. Sola Imoru, said the students were not protesting against the school management but against the killing of their colleague who was killed by a reckless driver.
He said, “the students demonstration of this morning is against the recklessness of motorists plying the Akungba-Ikare highway and not against the university management and neither were the students blaming the management.”
