A court in Ibadan has discharged 12 out of 25 Ajayi Crowther University students who were facing charges of conspiracy, murder and negligence.
As reported by PUNCH, The 12 students who were freed are Kehinde Martins, Samuel Okorie, Mustapha Khalid, Yusuf Adeniran, Joseph Areoye, Iyanuoluwa Oyelakin, Obaloluwa Olalekan, Emmanuel Adejumobi, John Daudu, Moses Abiola, Hammad Tijani and David Kolawole.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Olabisi Ogunkanmi, stated that the legal advice had been received and indicated that there was no evidence linking these 12 students to the offences they were accused of.
"The 12 discharged students are Kehinde Martins, Samuel Okorie, Mustapha Khalid, Yusuf Adeniran, Joseph Areoye, Iyanuoluwa Oyelakin, Obaloluwa Olalekan, Emmanuel Adejumobi, John Daudu, Moses Abiola, Hammad Tijani and David Kolawole," Ogunkanmi announced.
The case came to light on June 5th when the 25 students were initially arraigned and charged. At that time, Ogunkanmi had ordered the students to be remanded in a correctional facility in Ibadan, pending the outcome of the legal advice.
In her latest ruling, Ogunkanmi stated, "the legal advice was out and indicated that the 12 students should not be charged with any offence as there was no evidence linking any of them with the offences alleged to have been committed."
In addition to the 12 students being discharged, one of the 25 original defendants, a security guard at the university named Femi Oladoye who was charged with negligence of duty, was granted bail in the sum of 250,000 Naira with two sureties.
Ogunkanmi then adjourned the remaining case until July 8th for further mention.
During the initial proceedings, the prosecutor CSP Funke Fawole had told the court that the defendants committed the offences on May 24th at around 9pm on the university campus.
Fawole said "the defendants unlawfully caused the death of one 22-year-old Jefry Akro, a student of the university, by beating him with planks and electrical wire."
She added that Oladoye, as the security guard, had failed to prevent the students from beating Akro to death.
"The offences contravened Sections 516, 515 and 324 of the Criminal Laws of Oyo State, 2000," Fawole concluded.