The Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede, has narrated how he and some other members of the management of the university, narrowly escaped being killed by alleged land grabbers.
Penpushing reports that, Ogunbodede, alleged that the landgrabbers forcefully encroached on the university’s land in Ile-Ife, adding that the attackers shot sporadically and brandished dangerous weapons in an efforts to assassinate the university officials.
The Prof of Dentistry linked the ugly development to the perennial land tussle between the university and some individuals within the Ile-Ife community, adding that among weapons used by the attackers include machetes, charms, arrows, planks, among others
Penpushing further reports that, Ogunbodede disclosed that the community’s palace was duly informed before it visited the site where the team was attacked, adding that some journalists were also part of the target of the suspected land grabbers.
”We were told there was an attempt to encroach on the land belonging to the university using the opportunity of an ongoing road construction by the Osun State Government. We quickly got in touch with the palace and made it clear that the university management would visit the place to find out the truth’, he explained.
“For proper capturing of the situation, we asked some reporters to join us to the site which is just between the campus gate and Parakin, but as soon as our vehicles approached the place some hoodlums descended on us hauling stones and shooting at us. It was scary”, Ogunbodede recounted
Penpushing also reports that, Ogunbodede, said the land matter is beyond him adding that the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the University’s Governing Council have all been emphatic on how an inch of the parcel belonging to the university cannot be ceded to any individual or organisation.
The legal adviser to the community, Adeyemi Adetise, while reacting to the incident said he was unaware of the development and urged the vice-chancellor to give the details of where and when the alleged attacks took place.
“We are unaware of such a development and I don’t think anything of such happened. As the counsel to the community, I am aware there has been a lingering crisis between the university and the community over land matter which was even before the new monarch was enthroned’.he stated.
“So if the university is referring to that, I want to advise that it should desist from rushing to the media because land matters are not fought on the pages of newspapers. We have been meeting over this thing and even when the visitation panel came we raised the same issue. So I don’t see any reason for this media fight”, he emphasized
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