Incessant Hostel Invasion: A Call for Security Reforms and Vigilance

Adeniran Tolulope 

Toward the end of 2023, there was a trending report which stated that a Moremi Hall resident, was attacked at night by a male intruder. It was reported that the perpetrator was also a student, and that he was dressed in female attire. 

It was even quoted by quite a significant number that he was sleeping by the side of the female student before he was caught, after which he struggled to keep the student silent. However, he couldn’t resist the defense which ensured the scenario didn't go uglier. 

In just a week after the Moremi's incident, there was another male invasion which occurred at the Mozambique Hall of Residence. It was said that the victim of the incident, who held a lamp, made an attempt to shout to the public during the time it happened, late at night once again. This attempt to shout to the public made the invader to escape. These incessant break-ins questioned the silence of the University.

Shortly after the Moremi's incident, the University rolled out a new rule which would guide entry into the halls of residence. We could see the rule as a censure on the incident from the administration of the University. 

A question that has been rising among the female students is ‘Could it be that the evil fashioned against us is rape from male students?’ Of course, female students have been more scared of coming out of their hostels at night due to these recent attacks on them. However, who should be held responsible for the incessant male invasion into females’ hostels?

On a weekday after Moremi's incident, one of the Fajuyi Wardens told a student not to enter the Hall of Residence, because the person came at a time that’s not within the visitation hours. This could have been a misplaced priority if this has not been part of the rules from the onset. 

How much more the Hall Executives who should make the security of the halls their responsibility? They are elected to their positions for these reasons. Nevertheless, it seems people now wait for the aftermath of a situation before they proffer solutions. Of course, solution comes after a problem, but some incessant incidents do need a solution in place to mitigate a potential issue. This will help to tackle the problem effectively if it eventually occurs.

Meanwhile, it looks like the measures from the management of the University were not enough; this even made the Students’ Representatives Council to constitute a Security Committee. Seems they’ve tried to curb it one way or the other, but the latest invasion in Mozambique Hall proves that the measures put in place couldn’t curb the menace.

Nevertheless, there is a probability that these perpetrators are not students. 

The management of the University is therefore called upon to put in place security measures in the hostels. The streetlights around and within the hostels should be repaired, and more of them should be mounted in places that have none. The security unit of the university should also be ready to deploy security officials when incidents of such is ongoing. 

The Security Officials of the University and of the Students’ Union are also mandated to be on standby and at alert, so that when issues like this rise up once again, it would be resolved swiftly. Finally, students are encouraged to be more security conscious. At this point, we hope for enhanced security of lives and properties of students on campus.