Twelve out of the 25 students of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, brought before an Iyaganku Chief Magistrate’s Court, Ibadan, Oyo State capital, were discharged of alleged murder, yesterday.
The 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.
The students were, on June 5, arraigned and charged with conspiracy, murder and negligence.
Following their arraignment, the Chief Magistrate, Olabisi Ogunkanmi, ordered that the students be remanded in a correctional facility in Ibadan, pending the outcome of legal advice.
Ogunkanmi, while discharging them, held that 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.
One of the 25 defendants, who is a security guard at the university, Femi Oladoye, earlier charged with negligence of duty, was also granted bail in the sum of N250,000, with two sureties in like sum.
Ogunkanmi, thereafter, adjourned the case till July 8, for mention.
Earlier, the prosecutor, CSP Funke Fawole, had told the court that the defendants committed the offences on May 24, at about 9:00 p.m., at the university.
Fawole said the defendants unlawfully caused the death of 22-year-old Jefry Akro, a student of the university, by beating him with planks and electrical wire.
She said Oladoye, as a security guard, failed to prevent the aggrieved students from beating Akro to death.
The prosecutor said their offences contravened Sections 516, 515 and 324 of the Criminal Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
