By Our Reporter
A former Senate President of the Adekunle Ajasin University Student Union, Tunde Akingbondere, has written an open letter to the Ondo State Attorney-General, Kayode Ajulo, SAN, urging him to immediately take over the murder case involving two slain students of the institution, citing concerns over a suspicious twist in the investigation.
The letter, which has since gone viral, was prompted by the killing of two AAUA students — Andrel Okah (History) and John Abbah (Economics) — allegedly orchestrated by a landlord known as Tallex, with suspected intent to kidnap and murder the duo.
The alleged mastermind was said to have been apprehended alongside others following what many initially praised as a professional investigation by the police.
However, the narrative changed dramatically when news emerged that the prime suspect, Tallex, had died in police custody — with the cause of death quickly ruled “natural” by the police.
The sudden death, which occurred under questionable circumstances, has triggered public outrage and suspicion of foul play. Student leaders were reportedly summoned to confirm the identity of the deceased at a morgue.
In the strongly worded letter, Akingbondere referenced the Anti-Torture Act of 2017, arguing that if the suspect died from torture or police misconduct, then the Nigeria Police must be held accountable.
He also pointed out that the police cannot be trusted to prosecute the same case in which their conduct is now in question.
Akingbondere, a trained lawyer, invoked Section 211 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the state Attorney-General to take over any criminal prosecution in the interest of justice, public interest, or to prevent abuse of legal process.
He appealed to Mr. Ajulo, a known human rights advocate, to bring integrity and transparency to the case by invoking this constitutional power.
“The university community is still grieving. It is disturbing that, just weeks after the first incident, another female student, Joy Adeyemi of the Human Kinetics department, was found dead in her room in what appears to be a case of domestic murder. This cannot be the new normal,” Akingbondere wrote.
He called on the Attorney-General to brief the Governor of Ondo State on the gravity of the situation, warning that continued inaction could lead to civil unrest in Akungba-Akoko.
A student who spoke under anonymity said: “It’s high time the government acted. The killing of our students by indigenes is getting out of hand. If nothing is done, there will be a crisis.”
