No fewer than 25 suspects in the brutal killing of Alex Timileyi, a 200-level engineering student at Ajayi Crowther University, were arraigned on Wednesday before the Chief Magistrate in Oyo State. Timileyi was allegedly beaten to death by his colleagues on May 24, 2023, over accusations of stealing a mobile phone.
The tragic incident occurred inside the Shepherd Inn hostel on the university premises. Witnesses reported that the suspects not only beat Timileyi until he succumbed to his injuries but also forcibly shaved his hair after he was allegedly caught with the stolen phone.
In the aftermath, the university management expelled several students implicated in the crime and handed them over to the state police for prosecution.
An X.com user known as “Lord of Warri,” claiming to be a relative of the deceased, had earlier petitioned Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde to ensure those responsible for the murder were brought to justice. In an update on X.com, the activist expressed gratitude to the Oyo State authorities for their diligence in pursuing the case. He shared documents listing the names of the students and details of the court proceedings.
“Today, June 5, 25 students were arraigned in court in connection with the tragic murder of Prince Alex Timileyin, a son of the Warri Kingdom and a student at Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo. The court has remanded them in prison until July 8, pending trial,” the post read.
“We appreciate the efforts of the Oyo State Government and the Oyo State Police Command in pursuing justice and ensuring that the perpetrators are held accountable. We await the trial and expect that justice will be served in its entirety,” he added.
Court documents reveal the severe charges against the suspects. One count states, “That you, OLADOYE FEMI OLA M’ and KEHINDE OLABUSUYI MARTINS M’, on the 24th day of May, 2024, at about 9:00 p.m., at Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo in the Oyo Magisterial District triable in the Ibadan Magisterial District, conspired with one another to commit felony to wit: acceleration of death and thereby committed an offense contrary to and punishable under Section 324 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000.”
Another count details the failure of university employees to intervene, stating, “That you, OLADOYE FEMI OLA ‘M’ and KEHINDE OLABUSUYI MARTINS M’., on the same date, time, and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District, being the security guard and Porter employed by the University, unlawfully omitted to rescue one AKRO JEFRY ‘M’ AGE 22YRS from other aggrieved students who beat him to death and thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 311 and punishable under Section 319 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000.”
Ajayi Crowther University has yet to issue further statements regarding the ongoing legal proceedings.
