Following the uproar and criticisms that greeted the killing of Iyanda Damilola, the management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, has clarified that the victim was not a student at their institution.
Damilola, who was reportedly a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), was allegedly shot dead by a police officer during a disturbance at a nightclub in Ogbomoso on Monday.
Oluwafemi Iyanda, the deceased’s brother and a graduate of LAUTECH, stated that his sibling attended his convocation, after which they went to an after-party on the day he was killed.
However, Akin Fadeyi, the Public Relations Officer of the institution, clarified during the grand finale of the 16th convocation ceremonies that the incident did not occur on university premises.
“The incident occurred around 2 am. It did not occur in the institution. It happened in a club, and in LAUTECH, we don’t have a club or hotel.
“They were fighting and the student who got killed was not our student. So, what happened had nothing to do with LAUTECH. It has nothing to do with our convocation.
“Information from town was that some people got engaged at a nightclub, far from the university premises, during which one of them got killed,” he said.
Meanwhile, police authorities in the state have detained the officers involved in the incident. The Oyo State Police Command explained that the officers were sent to the nightclub to manage a disturbance that had broken out during the party.
According to the command spokesman, Osifeso Adewale, the situation escalated, resulting in the officers firing “warning shots.” Unfortunately, this action led to one fatality.
“The incident recorded the death of one Iyanda Damilola, ‘m’, and the injury of his brother one Iyanda Femi Isreal, who has since been discharged from the hospital after treatment,” Osifeso said in a Thursday statement.
“All operatives involved in the incident including Inspr Rasheed Saheed are currently under detention at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku,” he added.