How Students Were Robbed Due to Electrical Issues, Non-Functional Doors, and Poor Lighting in Akintola Hall

 Emiola Oluwaseun

A few weeks into the general resumption of students, both freshers and staylites, a report of robbery has surfaced in one of the female halls of residence. Akintola Hall, located behind Fajuyi Hall and closer to the sports complex.

The unfortunate incident took place around 2-3 a.m., according to eyewitnesses. Helen, a Part 1 Microbiology student who resides in one of the rooms, was robbed and had a physical confrontation with the intruder.

According to Helen, "We were four in the room, including a student who came to sleep in our room from the top floor, owing to the fact that she was the only one yet to resume in her room."

When asked how they discovered their property was stolen, Helen described the circumstances surrounding the robbery, revealing systemic infrastructure challenges in the dormitory that may have facilitated the crime.

"When we resumed, a lot of things were amiss, including electricity issues in our room. In fact, it wasn't just our room; almost every room in the block had one issue or another. The porters told us we were responsible for getting them fixed. From the lamp holders to the bulbs, wall sockets – we fixed them all by ourselves.

However, we were told that the hostel would be responsible for repairing and fixing the door catchers. Since resumption, until that night we were robbed, we usually left our doors open, same with the girl who came to sleep in our room. Her door couldn't be closed from within, and there was no light in the room either."

Helen further detailed the moments leading to the robbery, stating, "My roommate's phones, including mine, were all being charged at my place. I had one of my bags beside me, which contained my ATM cards, Bible, and purse. We later found the bag within the hostel premises.

All of a sudden, I woke up from sleep, only to find a figure crawling towards my roommate's bedside, where a laptop was kept. In a frightened moment, my scream alerted my roommate, but we were girls and felt powerless, thanks to the darkness in the room and the block."

Describing her attempt to confront the intruder, she added, "I tried to hold the intruder, but honestly, I couldn't ascertain their gender. The intruder shoved me away and ran out of the room, making their way up the stairs in a frantic manner. A lady can't run as fast as that in pure darkness."

When asked if help came on time and was effective, Helen painted a picture of collective fear and delayed intervention.

"None of our block mates came out of their rooms despite our shouts. According to them, there was no light in the corridor, and they were scared to come out until the portal staff arrived at the scene of the incident," she reported.

Helen confirmed that her room was not the only one robbed in the entire block

"Some rooms were robbed upstairs as well, but they weren't aware of the intruder's presence until they heard my shout for help." She stated.

Addressing the aftermath of the incident, Helen described the minimal security improvements. "They have installed one lousy bulb at the passage, and the door lock has been fixed," she said, suggesting that the measures taken were inadequate to ensure student safety.

Recently, since resumption, there have been reports of unlit paths on campus. The road leading to ETF and the new market, as well as the shortcut between Akintola Hall and Fajuyi Hall, have been affected. This is the exact spot where a resident of Mozambique was cornered and injured last session.

Similar issues persist across hostels, from Moremi to Alumni and Fajuyi, where toilets, bathrooms, and corridors lack functioning bulbs, leaving these areas in stark darkness.