Ekiti Government Visits Families of Slain Students

While the police have denied the #BlackTuesday shooting in the Federal University Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) on the 10th of September, the Ekiti state government has sent a delegation to pay condolence visits to the families of the slain. 

The delegation went to pay their homage on Friday, the 13th of September and visited Usi Ekiti and Ido Ekiti, where the families of Dada Kehinde and Okonufua Joseph lived.

The delegation included the Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Biodun Oyebanji, the Chief of Staff to the governor, Hon. Biodun Omoleye, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Chief (Mrs) Moji Fafure, Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Gbenga Ageyo, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Women Affair, Dr (Mrs) Eunice Oladimeji and the lawmaker representing Ido/Osi 1 at the State Assembly, Hon. Abiodun Fawekun. 

This visitation comes two days after the police denied firing shots at the protesting students, declaring their deaths as baseless.

On Tuesday the 10th of September, students of FUOYE took to the streets to protest inadequate power supply in the Oye community. The protest reportedly involved the blocking of a federal road, which passes through OYe, leading to Lokojo and Abuja. Unfortunately, Mrs Erelu Bisi Fayemi, the wife of the governor, and her convoy were on a tour of the area and needed to use the road which had been blocked. 

The protest soon turned bloody after the Student Union President, Awodola Oluwaseun, was allegedly slapped by a policeman. Soon after, security officers attached to the governor’s wife’s convoy opened fire on the students which led to the deaths of Dada Kehinde and Okonofua Joseph and the injury of several others. 

Meanwhile, the police have since come forward to deny shooting the students, while the governor’s wife has acknowledged their deaths as tragic and unfortunate. She, however, clarified that the actions of the security personnel attached to her convoy were not on her orders.