The Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, have shut down until further notice, following students’ protest over the death of their colleague. 

In a statement on Friday by the school’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, the varsity management said the shutting of the school was to forestall a breakdown of law and order.

All students have been asked to vacate their halls of residence and the campus latest by 12:00 noon on October 2.

The students are protesting the death of a 400 level student of the institution, Aishat Adesina, accusing the school’s health centre of negligence in her death.

The deceased was a 24-year-old student of the Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Arts, and had visited the health centre on Tuesday to treat an infection.

The protesting students, who for several hours on Friday blocked the major roads leading to the campus, said the health centre’s response to the deceased was not good enough.

In its defence, the school management dismissed the allegation as incorrect, saying the staff did their best.

Mr Olanrewaju said when the medical staff could not handle the case, they immediately referred the deceased to a secondary hospital, where she later died at the hospital.

The school said it’s investigating the circumstances surrounding the immediate and remote cause of the protests.

Consequently, the swearing-in of the newly elected Students’ Union officials has been put on hold, pending a review of the situation.

(NAN)