Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), has raised the alarm over what it described as the incessant attacks and trespassing by violent indigenes of Oye-Ekiti on the various construction sites of the University, saying the ugly development is already stalling infrastructural development as well as disrupting the peace of the Ivory Tower.
According to reliable sources from security unit of the institution, some violent men from the community, have been attacking the various construction sites of the University and disrupting the peace of the institution. They identified such men from families of Oguntuase, ljagemo and Ogunleye in Oye-Ekiti.
Decrying the ugly development, one of the sources, which doesn’t want his name in print, said: “today, October 19, 2022, a few thugs from Oye came to stop the construction work going on at the site where a new hostel was being built. They are among these groups of indigenes who claimed that they are landowners, or omo onile in local parlance. They also went to those sites to place ‘ebo’ (fetish sacrifices) at seven different spots at the site where the contractors are working just to prevent them from working there. But we had to invite security men who came to ensure that there was normalcy at the site.
” On October 17, 2022, Oye family members of the Oguntuase family who are claiming to be the owners of the land on which the University has been built, came with clubs and other dangerous weapons to attack the surveyor who was mapping the land for perimeter fencing. The same set of people have also come with dangerous weapons to stop the on going work at the new gate site of the University. The attacks are becoming rather too regular and disrupting the peace of the university as well as the Federal Government sponsored construction works that are on going on the campus,” he said.
The Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the University, Mr. Paul Ogidi corroborated the claims by the security unit source.
Responding to the development, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina, said the Management of the institution will adopt a civil approach in tackling the ugly development before things deteriorate into chaos, so that the students who are already resuming for academic activities on the campus after eight months of academic disruption as a result of ASUU strike would have an hitch-free session.
He urged the people of Oye-Ekiti to emulate their counterparts in Ikole-Ekiti where another campus of the University is situated.
Prof. Fasina said: “The people of Ikole-Ekiti have been very peace loving, highly supportive and understanding to the University community. In fact, they recently offered to build us a 500 seater auditorium and have used their rich network to bring several developmental projects to support the University. This is a welcome development that the people of Oye-Ekiti should emulate. And the leadership of Oye-Ekiti have been supportive too , except for these people, who came to cause chaos from time to time. It is not the management of FUOYE that would pay them compensation for the use of the land which was taken over by the Federal Government for this University. It is the government that these aggrieved people should approach for such and we appeal to them to give peace a chance, for that is the only way there would be developelment in this town, ” he said.
The VC also appealed to security agents to urgently come to the aide of the staff and contractors currently working on the various construction sites of the institution.
Also reacting to the development, the President of Oye Progressive Union (OPU) , Elder Ola Oniyelu, said the community leadership has done its best to ensure that there is peace between the hoodlums trespassing on FUOYE land and the management but such efforts have remain futile after several attempts. He advised the University Management to get any trespassers on the landed property arrested so as to forestall acts that may lead to the break down of law and order and disruption of on going construction works on the campus.