“Currently, it feels Unsafe to be here. I cannot sleep completely because I’ll rise at the slightest sound, even though my room is closest to Porter’s lodge.” A resident of Akintola Hall of Residence laments
When the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) called off the 8-month long strike, it was a piece of good news for students as they began preparation for the continuation of a seemingly indefinite school run. Just like every other student who owns bed spaces, Occupants of Ladoke Akintola Hall of residence resumed with their luggage, anticipating another long moment of cleaning their rooms. However, they were welcomed with an active act of theft that left many with nothing but webs and clouds of dust.
A Mournful Second Half
Oriyomi, a part one student of Art and Social Science Education, is one of the many affected persons and proof that this painful development didn’t pardon even the fresh students. When she resumed, the padlock of her room was still locked, but the hinges for the locks had been removed. Upon entering, reality dawned on her as they had broken her locker and that of her roommates with a few household items such as a bottle of Dettol Antiseptic, and Hair Extension Oil missing.
Her roommates also confirmed that they couldn’t find their cylinders. Omotayo, a student of the English Department, lost 6 litres of Groundnut Oil and a pack of salt.
As for Toluwase, she only had little academic drive left following the long strike. At that point in time, she was already having difficulty proceeding with her schooling because of financial burden. Little did she know that her mattress, cylinder, and some foodstuff had been carted away. This left her depressed with more burden to bear. All other occupants of her room lost their belongings too, leaving them with no choice but to start the second half with an unplanned budget of purchasing fast food, and snacks, as well as getting new mattresses.
Further information gathered from many residents of the hall reveals that over forty people have claimed to have lost one or more items of belonging that they had previously kept in the safety of their lockers, wardrobes, kitchenettes and bed spaces.
Were The Girls Hit From The Back?
As complaints and reports of missing belongings gained momentum, with more Queens resuming for the academic semester, questions on how this crime of mass theft was perpetrated urged responses.
While Room M1-107 has evidence of the assailants coming in through the front door as the lock was damaged, Room W1-103 had its front door intact.
“Many rooms like ours have broken back doors,” Toluwase said.
Evidence that the assailants may have passed through the broken back doors of many rooms edges – on the fact that many like W1-103 had their lockers broken and items taken away, but the front door was intact.
Are There Any Suspects?
The Ladoke Akintola Hall of Residence is one with a comprehensive demography of students, cleaners, porters, security personnel, a supervisor and the Hall Warden.
One victim (in anonymity), narrated that as of the latter part of June, when she visited the hostels to reclaim some items, everything in her room was intact. She had also confirmed the presence of a porter and cleaners.
“Everything felt secure,” she added.
June to October is such an ample time for the assailant(s) to perpetrate their evil and long enough for the vigilant porters to grow tired and even truant. However, Mr Adeyemo, a porter for over five years, had something different to say.
Reactions from Major Stakeholders
Mr Adeyemo, who would later be praised by the Hall Warden in the cause of this investigation as one of the most dedicated staff, didn’t hold back in declaring the students as the thieves. “They are the ones stealing from one another. We are here every day. Nobody will pass us by without us knowing,” Mr Adeyemo Elaborated.
The Hall Warden affirmed Mr Adeyemo’s comments and buttressed that, “Even though we are under-staffed, the porters we have here have been very vigilant and efficient. Nothing will pass them by.” While she shares compassion with the affected students, she didn’t hide her opinion of them as victims of their fellow students’ evil acts.
Members of the Hall executives, notably the chairperson, Ms Princess, have chosen not to say anything to the press while they handle the matter internally. However, interviewed persons have claimed to have filled out google forms created by the hall executive to collect reports as regards the recent loss of belongings. The Hall Warden made it known that Madam Chairperson confronted her in earnest, demanding an explanation on behalf of “her girls”.
Also, representatives from the Great Ife Student Union have graced the Hall Warden’s office. To both parties, the Hall Warden expressed her stance that the students were the culprits whilst still showing compassion for those affected.
While fingers get directed at the students, Anu, an Akintola queen, thinks the porters are unworthy of accusing the students. “My room is one of the closest to the porters’ lodge. It’s right over there,” says Anu. She stressed that the porters should have been alarmed considering the effort needed in breaking the locks and carting away heavy belongings like gas cylinders and mattresses among others.
Anu further confirmed that, unlike others, she was aware of the burglary quite earlier because she had visited the hall of residence halfway through July and had found her room a crime scene.
The Hall Warden’s Verdict
In an interview with the ACJ OAU, the Hall Warden laid bare the whole incident as she knew it. When asked how the students whom she claims were perpetrators could have carried the loot out of the hall of residence with no staff on duty knowing, she responded with booklets showing the registration of students who entered and exited the hall of residence during the break. The booklet contained columns for names, dates, phone numbers, items removed or returned, time in and out, and signatures.
“When they say they are carrying boxes, we cannot start checking what is inside their boxes.” She says when asked if students were searched at the point of exit.
On why she vehemently thinks students are the culprits, she confirmed that on several occasions, students who legitimately own bed spaces would give out their I.D cards to their friends to impersonate them. At least six such cases have been recorded this semester alone. She also claimed awareness of students exchanging and passing items over the short fences that circle the hall of residence of which she says she can’t be everywhere and “we are short-staffed but the hall executives are really trying in that regard”.
On moving forward and how she thinks they could prevent a further occurrence of this rather sad event; she confirms that a supervisory order would be put in place to ensure students leave the hostels with all their belongings when leaving for any break. While She equally emphasized that the school will not be responsible for any belongings left in the rooms.
Although the Hall warden says there will be an alternative where students who can’t carry their belongings home could keep them in a safe room, she said nothing about the poor condition of infrastructure in the hall of residence.
The entrance of Samuel Ladoke Akintola Hall (Credit:Temijuayolo)
The Resolution of Ladoke Akintola Queens
As requested, affected queens filled out the Google forms provided by the hall executive during the first two weeks of resumption. However, many, like Anu, are not expecting any justice. The Queens have repaired the broken locks with their money as well as purchased gas cylinders and mattresses.
The Hall staff are paid for a job with a description of securing the lives and properties of the over 500 students occupying this Hall of Residence, as emphasized by the Hall Warden. However, one may wonder when accountability came with conditions. One may wonder why the students have to pay the price of entrusting the safety of their belongings into the hands of people whose entire purpose of being there is to keep these things safe.
In the end, if we are concerned enough, we may feel the distrust that accompanies the realization of having to bear the burden of paying attention during lectures as well as bothering over the safety of all the things one has left behind in the hall of residence because students are not to carry gas cylinders and mattresses about but books and their visionary mind.