Osun State University Reels From Alleged Military Recruit Attack on Hostels, Student Death

Osun State University (UNIOSUN) is facing a crisis following two disturbing incidents within a week, raising serious concerns about student safety and welfare in Nigerian tertiary institutions. The university community is reeling from an alleged midnight invasion of private student hostels by military recruits and the recent death of a final-year student.

Students recounted harrowing experiences during the alleged hostel invasion, claiming they were assaulted, subjected to sexual harassment, had their properties vandalized, and their mobile phones stolen. The incident occurred days after the university mourned the death of Grace Marvellous Osunlakin, a final-year criminology student. Her death sparked protests over healthcare access, as she reportedly did not receive prompt medical attention during movement restrictions in Ifetedo due to the Oro festival.

“

It was devastating for me when I visited the hostels. I visited about 16 hostels that were attacked and ravaged by the military recruits. It was so bad.

Vice Chancellor of Osun State University, Prof. Odunayo Adeboye, characterized the alleged attack by military recruits as one of the "darkest moments" in the institution's recent history. He stated that the recruits stormed at least 16 privately-owned hostels around 9 p.m., forcing their way into students' rooms. Adeboye personally visited the affected hostels and described the scene as "devastating."

“

Whenever they met female students in any room, they went in and touched them inappropriately. The situation will make you cry as a woman, and I cried as a man that innocent children were touched inappropriately.

Rejecting any suggestion that students provoked the attack by wearing military camouflage, Adeboye asserted there was no evidence to support such claims. He detailed student reports of recruits breaking doors and windows, assaulting male students, sexually harassing female students, and stealing mobile phones after removing SIM cards. "Whenever they met female students in any room, they went in and touched them inappropriately," Adeboye stated, expressing his distress over the inappropriate touching of students.

The alleged assaults led to two female students requiring hospitalization, while many others were left traumatized. The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Southwest Zone, organized protests blocking major roads in Osogbo, which university authorities eventually intervened in. Adeboye acknowledged a historically cordial relationship between the university and military formations but stressed that the alleged actions of these recruits do not represent the conduct of senior military officers.

“

We have lived peacefully with the military. We share boundaries with both the Nigerian Ai