Ajayi Samiat Oluwatimilehin
In this report, Ajayi Samiat details lasuites experiences of robbery, battery, and sexual assault on Lagos State University Ojo campus and in their respective area of residence.
"I begged them to return my phone but was beaten with a cutlass, I was also stabbed on my right thigh and I had no choice but to let go. A good Samaritan in Okoko helped me, got me treatment and took me to my bus stop where I called my dad with his phone".
The Lagos State University's ojo campus, is situated within the ojo local government area of Lagos Nigeria, a community largely inhabited by LASU students due to the limited availability of on-campus hostels.
The state owned university is encircled by areas such as Iyanoba, Okoko, Post Service, First gate, Estate Gate, Iba, Iyanoschool and more. These areas have become go-to destinations for students seeking off-campus accomodation, however the security issues in these localities have become a cause for significant concern.
While the Lagos State University's Ojo campus offers female hostels, an opportunity for students to live within the school premises and away from potential threats, campuses in Epe and Ikeja (for engineering and medical students respectively) have long enjoyed the benefits of on-campus housing, significantly reducing security risks, transportation costs, and the drawbacks associated with non-residential institutions.
One such area, Iyanoba, remains a popular but notoriously risky housing option for Lasuites. It is popular for it's high rate of crime, including robberies and violent conflicts. For instance, on September 29, 2022, the Vanguard reported a clash between RTEAN members in iyanoba which resulted in at least 3 deaths.
Similarly, on October 19, 2022, the Tribune reported a clash between traders at Alaba International Market in Ojo, which led to locals getting injured. These violent conflicts often lead to property damage, disrupt academic activities for students residing in these areas, and tragically result in loss of life.
Also, recall that Nurudeen Alowonle popularly known as Omomeewa was shot dead around LASU U-turn, iba road in August 2021.
The 33rd Welfare Director of the Lagos state university Mr Kadri Oluwabusayo Nurudeen acknowledged that "there are different security challenges which our students are facing" but added that most of these issues stem from students' nonchalant attitude and their lack of vigilance of their surroundings.
Near Iyanoba, areas like Okoko and PPl, are popular among students because of its proximity to the school and reduced transportation cost. However, just like Iyanoba, PPl has its own share of security challenges.
Olayomi Triumph Emmanuel is a 300-level student in the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies at LASU resides in Yaaru street, PPL, Okoko. Triumph believes that "PPL isn't all that safe, but PPL is a stone's throw from school, granting me easy access to classes, and taking off transportation fees and stress"
The stalite added that "My current hostel in PPL is quite secure, considering the security-conscious measures we take regularly. However, the area itself PPL is not quite safe, seeing smokers at every corner is a norm for us".
He also noted that while recent clashes have decreased, incidents of petty theft and robbery persist. Triumph recountered a previous robbery at his hostel that resulted in the loss of a laptop and five phones. They however chose not to report it due to frequently heard cases of police inaction.
Discussing the security challenges commonly reported by students, the Welfare Director emphasized issues with "street guys" citing PPl as a scenario. He said "Let me give you a scenario of PPl and these girls. Anytime they are going home, these guys tend to call them, and you know the story of PPl and everything, these things have already created fear in these girls, so whenever these guys call them they don't answer, but these guys had the confidence to go and capture these girls at home and flog them with cane".
However, the wellfare director believes that such situations with "steeet guys" can be prevented if students stopp underestimating them especially after sighting them afar and chose alternate routes for their safety.
Also in PPl, Okeniyi Precious Jesuvivi, a final year Students recalls how she was robbed and beaten on her way home after a delayed exam which ended about 6pm on June 11, 2022.
She recounted the experience stating "I couldn't catch a bus because it was late at 8 PM so i decided to walk to Okoko, when i reached the primary school after PPL, someone grabbed my bag from behind. I struggled but was soon surrounded by other guys".
"I begged them to return my phone but was beaten with a cutlass, I was also stabbed on my right thigh and I had no choice but to let go. When I stood up, I tried to walk down to Okoko market and that was when I realized I was bleeding, thankfully a good Samaritan in Okoko helped me, got me treatment and took me to my bus stop where I called my dad with his phone".
The Welfare Director while acknowledging a reduction in the security issues in PPl added that the perception of insecurity in PPl prevails due to its small size and proximity to the school, which causes incidents there to spread quickly to the school, in constrast to places like First Gate.
From the English and Portuguese department of the Faculty of Arts is 400 level student Nwachukwu Hope who used to live in the PPL but moved due to frequent robbery and fighting, as well as 4 snake encounters in her hostel."
In Adolf, Hope's first scary encounter happened a month after she moved in. She narrates how she and a friend were followed by two men who threatened them with a gun and requested to search their hostels for a guy they were looking for.
Hope shared her conviction that they weren't thieves when they returned the 1,000 naira note in her bag together with her iphone but proceeded to touch her on her waist, playing with her waist beads and saying she had a "big bumbum" she said "he went as far as dipping his hands in my buttocks but I couldn't scream"
They attempted to take Hope and her friend to a location to rape them, but the situation was diffused when they couldn't find a suitable place.
As an undergraduate in the Lagos State University ojo campus, Hope is not the only one with a sexual assault attempt case, another victim is Bisiriy Kaothara, a finalist who describes PPL as "full of smokers, hooligans, and dangerous people you don't want to mess with".
Kaothara recalls how she was almost raped at night in school, "I was almost at the ATM stand at the faculty of Social Sciences when I saw a guy, I couldn't see his face well because it was dark, I greeted him and asked if he was going into PPL and he said yes.
"We were almost at the security guard post leading to the PPL gate, at few minutes to nine when I felt a big palm covering my mouth and nose, almost making me pass out as I was dragged into the nearby bush"
"I was calling for help and trying to wriggle my way out of his tight grip, but he threw me on the floor, landed slaps on my face, and then asked for my phone and some valuables but I told him I didn't have anything on me after which he threatened me with his hidden gun. He said if I really had nothing on me then he would have my body, he then started losing his belt"
Kaothara started to shout again after she heard whispers and footsteps and caught a ray of torchlight along the route, she recalled that the rays of the torchlight accompanied with a voice asking her to run towards the light started to move towards her. She said "I ran toward the flashlight and met people who were going to school. it was almost exam period so everyone was going for night reading"
Despite being afraid, she didn't think reporting the incident would help as "anything can happen anytime."
Away from the region of PPL and into iyanoschool is Sonayon Emmanuel, popularly known on campus as "THAT AGEGE BOY" who now lives at Iyana School after moving from Iba Junction.
Although he describes the new environment as "very secure and good" Emmanuel revealed that he was robbed 3 months after moving in. He recalled that he was attacked on December 24, 2022 at around 7:30 - 8:00PM by 4 men who requested for his belongings.
"I struggled with them and after few minutes of intense fight they just fled and left me bleeding, I had a few injuries but they didn’t go away with the phone"
Although the attackers were not initially harmed, Emmanuel was eventually injured on his face with a plastic chair that was lying around the scene.
Emmanuel did not report the incident because he didn't want to be assumed as involved in election-related violence. He said "People will assume that I got attacked by the other party probably because of the then upcoming lasusu election because I’ve heard rumors prior to the attack that I was going to step down"
Emmanuel added that he couldn't attend classes for a while due to his injuries and thankfully a good Samaritan footed his medical bills..
When asked about the frequency of security problem reports, the 33rd Welfare Director revealed that he spends a significant portion of his day at the Adolf police station, and occasionally resorts to spending the night at his office due to the 10pm closure of the PPl gate.
The Welfare Director further outlined his efforts in addressing these challenges by establishing the Swift Response Team, with contacts within communities surrounding the university campus.
In instances where the Swift Response Team cannot intervene, the Welfare Director collaborates with local police units in the respective communities. He recounted a case in Iba where a conflict between a community leader's son and residents of an apartment resulted in an attack (with charm) on the apartment which housed lasuites in the middle of the night.
Additionally, the Welfare Director addressed complaints concerning the conduct of Agberos (street thugs) and bus conductors by obtaining the bus's plate number and reporting the incidents to the unit's chairman.
The Welfare Director affirmed that while security challenges in areas like Iba, Ojo, and Okoko were more prevalent than in PPL, these issues have been on the decline.
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