By Odeh Favour Adiya
The Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Professor Adebooye Clement, has strongly condemned the alleged invasion of students’ hostels by military personnel, describing the incident as “disturbing, sad and unacceptable.”
Addressing students and the public in a video that has circulated widely on social media, the Vice-Chancellor disclosed that five soldiers have been arrested in connection with the incident following the intervention of the military high command.
According to him, the suspects allegedly invaded student hostels, assaulted students, sexually assaulted female students, vandalised property, and stole mobile phones, power banks and cash during the operation.
Professor Clement expressed concern that security personnel entrusted with protecting citizens had become a source of fear for the very people they are meant to defend.
“The people we have recruited to safeguard our society have become threats to our peace. The people we are supposed to call upon when we are under security threat have actually themselves become security threats against us,” he said.
The Vice-Chancellor revealed that he personally visited between 12 and 13 affected hostels after the incident, where he met traumatised students and assessed the extent of the damage. He said the experience moved him to tears during discussions with military authorities.
“I visited the affected hostels and I wept while speaking with the military commandant. This should never happen in a sane society,” he stated, while apologising to students for the psychological trauma they suffered.
Providing an update on the investigation, Clement said five military personnel had already been apprehended over the alleged attack. He alleged that the soldiers harassed students, confiscated phones after removing their SIM cards, stole money and other valuables, damaged hostel doors and windows, and committed acts of sexual violence against some female students.
He stressed that the perpetrators acted outside the law and insisted they should be kept away from the university environment while investigations continue.
“They were not armed robbers; they were people who were out to torment fellow Nigerians in military uniforms,” he said.
The Vice-Chancellor called on the Federal Government and military authorities to ensure those responsible are held accountable, warning that such abuses undermine public confidence in the nation’s security institutions.
The incident has sparked outrage within the university community, with students demanding justice for the victims, the recovery of stolen belongings and stronger measures to guarantee their safety on and around campus.
