By Adeyinka Adeniran
The attention of the authorities of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has been drawn to a viral news item in which a commercial motorcyclist, known as Okada, was alleged to have raped and robbed his female passenger.
Although the female passenger engaged the services of the Okada rider in front of the University main gate along Ife – Ede road, going to Moro, a nearby town, but the motorcyclist, later identified as Damilare Jacob, suddenly diverted into the bush where he raped the young lady and then robbed her of her belongings.
Refuting the insinuation that the victim is an undergraduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, the Public Relations Officer of the Institution, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju, said that the lady did not have any affiliation with the prestigious University.
We have done our due diligence and the outcome of our painstaking investigation revealed that no OAU student, within or outside the campus, was involved in any form of rape or robbery.
Accordingly, we implored the general public, especially the parents and guardians of our students, to disregard, in its entirety, the said news item.
In fact, our University is not in session and all our students, with a few exceptions, have been on holiday for almost a month now.
We, hereby, appeal to our colleagues in the media who are partners- in- progress to always verify the authenticity of their stories, particularly when Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, is involved.
