Varsity students beat colleague to death over phone theft

A student of Ajayi Crowther University (ACU) in Oyo, Oyo State has been beaten to death by his colleagues for allegedly stealing a mobile phone belonging to one of the students.

A source within the institution, on Saturday, May 25, 2024, disclosed that the students started beating their colleague at about 10 p.m. on Friday after discovering that he was the one who stole a phone.

The source, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on behalf of the university, said aside from stealing the phone, the student was also said to have transferred a certain amount from the phone to another account.

Some short video clips showed a male student beating his colleague and rolling on the floor, while another was heard shouting ‘harder, harder’, indicating that he should beat him the more.

The source disclosed that the students were enraged by the theft of the phone and the transfer of the money from the account of the owner.

The source further stated that the deceased was thrown out of the hostel on Friday evening, where he was discovered to have died in the early hours of Saturday.

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Meanwhile, the university management has announced the expulsion of the students said to have been involved in the death of their colleague.

The institution, in a statement issued on Saturday by its spokesperson, Femi Atoyebi, however, denied reports making the rounds that those involved in the killing were members of a secret cult.

Atoyebi noted: “Contrary to what is trending, the university affirms that there is no cultism in the institution, just as the university has zero tolerance for any sort of anti-societal vices and misconduct.

“It is important to stress that the expelled students do not belong to any cult group.”

He said what actually occurred was that the deceased was alleged to have stolen a mobile telephone.

He stated that instead of reporting the matter to the university management, the expelled students could not control their emotions, adding that their actions led to the death of the student.

The university spokesperson noted that the institution reacted swiftly by handing over all the students involved to the police for investigation, assuring that justice would be served.

“The university remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring a safe, conducive, peaceful and godly atmosphere for learning,” Atoyebi added.

The Star