FUOYE Students Hold Remembrance Walk Six Years After Killings of Icon, Kehinde

The Student Union Government of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) on Wednesday staged a Remembrance Walk in honour of two of their slain colleagues, Joseph Okonofua, popularly known as Joseph Icon, and Oluwaseyi Kehinde, fondly called Dada Kehinde. Both students were killed six years ago during a protest that has remained one of the darkest chapters in the university’s history.

The procession, led by the current SUG president, Ogbenii Adio, drew hundreds of students who marched in solidarity across campus. Placards were raised, chants of remembrance echoed, and moments of silence were observed, as students reflected on the tragedy and the need for justice. For many, it was not just a walk of memory but also of defiance, an insistence that the sacrifice of their fallen colleagues would not be forgotten.

The killings took place in September 2019, when FUOYE students embarked on a peaceful demonstration against prolonged electricity blackout in Oye-Ekiti. What began as a protest soon spiralled into chaos after policemen from the Ekiti State Police Command allegedly opened fire on the crowd. According to eyewitnesses, Kehinde, then a 100-level student of Crop Science and Horticulture, was shot in the head, while Icon, a 300-level Biology Education student, was hit in the stomach. Two others sustained injuries and were rushed to the hospital.

At the time, the then SUG president, Oluwaseun Awodola, insisted that the police were responsible for the killings, describing their actions as a “poor handling” of a peaceful protest. His account directly contradicted that of the police. The Ekiti State Police Command, through its spokesperson, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu, denied that officers fired at students, claiming instead that the protesters had attacked the convoy of the then-governor’s wife, Bisi Fayemi, vandalised vehicles, and assaulted security personnel.

Mrs Fayemi herself gave a different account, stressing that while her convoy encountered the protest, the violence that led to the deaths did not happen in her presence. She condemned the killings, extended condolences to the victims’ families, and suspended her empowerment tour in the wake of the tragedy. The state government admitted that there “might have been casualties” but awaited confirmation from FUOYE authorities, who initially reported only injuries.

The fallout from the killings was swift and intense. The National Association of Nigerian Students declared Mrs Fayemi persona non grata on all campuses, while the Nigeria Union of Journalists condemned reported attacks on journalists covering the incident. Rights groups, including Afenifere in Ekiti State, also described the shootings as “sad, ugly and unwarranted,” urging accountability from security agencies. FUOYE management reacted by shutting down the institution indefinitely and proscribing the Student Union Government, a decision that provoked anger among students.

Six years later, the memories of Icon and Kehinde remain fresh in the hearts of the FUOYE community. Monday’s remembrance was both a tribute and a call to action. Student leaders emphasised that their late colleagues “fell for a good cause” in the struggle for improved campus conditions. For many participants, the walk was a way to heal, to grieve, and to demand that justice for the slain undergraduates must not be buried under silence.