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Tag: UNILORIN

  • Killers of UNILORIN student sentenced to death by hanging

    Killers of UNILORIN student sentenced to death by hanging

    After one and half year legal tussle, an Ilorin High Court on Tuesday sentenced killers of Olajide Blessing Omowumi, a 300 level student of the University of Ilorin, to death by hanging.

    The deceased, who would had turned 26 years this year, was raped and murdered in a merciless manner by the assailants.

    The trial judge, Justice Ibrahim Yusuf, who handed down the judgment, convicted the 1st, 2nd and 3rd suspects; Abdulazeez Ismail, Ajala Oluwatimileyin and Oyeyemi Omogbolahan, for the offences of culpable homicide and armed robbery, ordering that they should die by hanging.

    “I direct you Abdulazeez Ismail, Ajala Oluwatimileyin and Oyeyemi Omogbolahan, should be hanged by the neck until you’re pronounced dead,” the judge pronounced.

    In the 165 pages judgment, which was delivered for four hours, the court also sentenced the 4th and 5th suspects to three years imprisonment for the offence of theft.

    Earlier, the court has discharged and acquitted the 6th, 7th and 8th suspects; Abdullateef Abdulrahman, Daud Aderayo and Akande Oladoja on the basis that they were not found guilty of any charges against them.

    According to the judgment, the lifeless body of the deceased was found in the afternoon time of the day with bruises all over her body, her hands tied to the back, and a towel covering her face.

    The judge added that the conventional statement which could be relied upon on the basis of law, revealed that the deceased struggled with the killers until she was pushed and fell, while the 1st and 3rd convicts held her down for the 2nd convict to perpetrate the henieus crime of rape.

    He said the deceased was raped till death on June 2, 2021, at her guardian’s residence in Tanke area of Ilorin, and a piece of paper was dropped on her chest with message containing: ‘No forgiveness for Unilorin student’.

    According to the judgment, Ismail, Oluwatimileyin and Omogbolahan conspired among themselves to rob the deceased of her Samsung Galaxy A2 Core handset, one black Acer Aspire laptop andone Samsung drive, among several other items.

    The killers were tried on 11-count charge bordering on murder, rape, armed robbery and illegal possession of firearms, among others.

    Reacting to the judgment, the Prosecution Counsel and former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Salman Jawondo, told newsmen after the court session that justice had caught up with the culprits.

    “The first, second and third defendants who are the main culprits were found guilty of culpable homicide punishable with death, conspiracy to commit robbery and conspiracy to murder.

    “They were accordingly sentenced to death. That’s maximum. There’s no discretion for the court to exercise by virtue of provision of the Armed Robbery Act, it’s death.

    “So also by virtue of Section 221 of the Penal Code, it’s death sentence for culpable homicide. So, they were accordingly sentenced to death.

    “Although, the third defendant, who was also convicted of rape was sentenced to life imprisonment, but it’s neither here nor there. When somebody is condemned, the life imprisonment does not ameliorate anything,” he said.

    Jawondo further explained that: “With respect to the fourth and fifth defendants, they were found guilty of conspiracy to steal and stealing of money in the bank account of the deceased.

    “You know, after killing her, they took her ATM card, Sim card and her phone. They changed her password, through instrumentality of the fourth and fifth defendants, who are experts in computer manipulation, collected some money through transfer, totalling about N149,000.

    “They were convicted for conspiracy and stealing/theft. They were accordingly sentenced to three years imprisonment to run concurrently. For conspiracy, one year, for main offence three years, commencing from the date of their arrest.”

    He added that: “They’ve spent about one and half years already in custody. The other three: sixth, seventh and eighth escaped by whiskers. They are very lucky. If you look at their involvement, they only assisted to dispose of property stolen.

    “The irony of it all is that all those involved are very young men of 19, 23, etc. It’s quite unfortunate and that tells that we have to work on our future in this country,” he said.

  • Unilorin disclaims Post-UTME screening form

    Unilorin disclaims Post-UTME screening form

    The University of Ilorin (Unilorin) on Thursday in Ilorin dismissed reports that it released 2022/2023 Post-UTME Screening Form to applicants.

    Mr Kunle Akogun, the Director of Corporate Affairs of the university, who disclaimed the speculation in a statement, explained that Unilorin was yet to take decision.

    “This is to inform all admission applicants to the University of Ilorin that the institution is yet to take any decision on the 2022/2023 Post-UTME screening.

    “They should, therefore, disregard a message currently flying around online platforms to the effect that the University has started the process for the sale of Post-UTME screening registration form.

    “This is the handiwork of scammers and admission seekers should disregard it,” he said.

  • Yazid Rafindadi’s death painful – Unilorin VC

    Yazid Rafindadi’s death painful – Unilorin VC

    Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof Sulyman Abdulkareem, on Thursday, expressed shock over the death of the institution’s Pro-Chancellor, Malam Yazid Rafindadi.

    Abdulkareem, in a statement issued by the university’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr Kunle Akogun, described the pro-chancellor’s death as very painful to the entire staff members and students of the institution.

    According to him, Rafindadi’s demise is particularly painful at this point in time when his services are needed most by the institution and the nation’s university system.

    The vice-chancellor described the late pro-chancellor as a fantastic and hardworking leader who served the university with competence and dedication.

    He recalled that the Rafindadi brought to bear great humility, uncommon civility and infectious sensitivity in the discharge of his responsibilities.

    The vice-chancellor stated that the university and the country in general would surely miss the services and patriotism of the late pro-chancellor “who was evidently one of the best of his generation.”

    He condoled with the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, and the university’s Chancellor and Emir of Katsina, Dr Abdulmumini Usman, as well as members of the Governing Council over the death of the pro-chancellor.

    Abdulkareem also condoled with Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State and the people of the state over the loss of Rafindadi, whom he described as a great son of the state.

    He also commiserated with the family, friends and colleagues of the deceased.

    He prayed Allah to grant the university and members of Rafindadi’s immediate family the fortitude to bear the loss, forgive his shortcomings and make Aljannah Fridaous his final abode.

  • UNILORIN Pro-chancellor, Yazid Rafindadi is dead

    UNILORIN Pro-chancellor, Yazid Rafindadi is dead

    The Chairman and Pro-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Malam Habidu Yazid-Rafindadi is dead.

    The demise of the Pro-Chancellor was confirmed on Thursday by Mr Kunle Akogun, the Director of Corporate Affairs of the university.

    The director said that Rafindadi died in Abuja, but however, said that the university had yet to give an official statement on his death.

    Rafindadi, who hailed from Katsina State, was a former Secretary to the Government and Head of Service in the old Kaduna State.

    The deceased was appointed chairman of the Governing Board and Pro-Chancellor of the University in 2021.

  • CBN director wins Adam Smith Prize for PhD excellence

    CBN director wins Adam Smith Prize for PhD excellence

    Dr. Babatunde Omotosho, an alumnus of the University of Ilorin (Unilorin), has won the 2021 Adam Smith Business School Prize for PhD Excellence in Economics.

    This is contained in the Unilorin Bulletin Tuesday edition.

    Omotosho, who is currently an Assistant Director in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), recently completed his PhD studies at the University of Glasgow under CBN sponsorship.

    His winning thesis is titled: ‘Oil Price Shocks and Macroeconomic Policy in Resource-rich Emerging Economies’.

    The prize is in memory of Adam Smith, fondly acknowledged as the father of modern economics. Smith lectured at the University of Glasgow and was appointed a Professor in 1751.

    Omotosho won the prize based on the excellence of his PhD thesis and the significance of its contribution to the field of Economics.

    Some of his findings have been published in high-ranking journals, including the Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control published by Elsevier.

    Others were in Macroeconomics and Finance in Emerging Market Economies published by Taylor and Francis, West African Journal of Monetary and Economic Integration, and the CBN Journal of Applied Statistics.

    The University of Glasgow is ranked among the top 100 universities in the world by Times Higher Education (THE).

    In 2021, it ranked 92nd in the world and 11th in the United Kingdom.

    Omotosho graduated from the Department of Economics, Unilorin, in 2000 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and was the best graduating student in his class.

    Prizes he won at the university included Departmental Prizes 1998/99 Session; Madam Oluwafunmike Kolawole Memorial Prize in Economics 1998/1999 Session; and Victor Odozi Prize in Economics – 1998/1999 Session.

    He later obtained a Master’s degree in Economics in 2008 from the University of Benin and completed a second Master’s degree in Applied Statistics and Datamining from the University of St Andrews, United Kingdom in 2011.

    Omotosho commended Unilorin for “giving him a solid foundation in Economics and being part of his success story”.

    He expressed optimism that the award would encourage undergraduate students of the Department of Economics to imbibe the Unilorin’s values of excellence and hard work.

  • UNILORIN announces Prof. Egbewole as new Vice-Chancellor

    UNILORIN announces Prof. Egbewole as new Vice-Chancellor

    Professor of International Law and jurispundence, Wahab Olasupo Egbewole has emerged the new Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin.

    The announcement was made public by the  Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the University, Malam Abidu, on Thursday in Ilorin the Kwara state capital.

    He said the emergence of Egbewole, who has been with the university community for the last 25 years, followed a rigorous selection procedure.

    He added that 13 University professor were shortlisted for the post of VC in the institution but Egbewole came out tops after a  rigorous process.

    The chairman said the University of Ilorin placed a nationwide advertorial for applicants and through its website and mounted a special search process through which the council reached out to not less 56 people in Universities and other institutions both at home and abroad, but only 29 applications were received.

    He said the “Council constituted a selection board to assess and shortlist suitable candidates and in the end we 13 candidates who fulfilled our advertisement and other conditions.

    Yazid, however, added that the shortlisted candidates had their applications processed for over a period of four days before the council decided to settle for Egbewole.

    He said the choice of the council for the new Vice-Chancellor was based among other things on “who would be sympathetic to the needs of the students and be mindful of the needs and aspirations of the institution’s host community.

    “We interacted with them and processed their application over a period of four days.

    “We checked and double-checked their credentials. We closely questioned and probed each of them to make sure that they would support and fulfill the vision and mission of the University.

    “I am glad to inform you that the Council, after rigorous selection procedure, approved the appointment of Professor Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN as the twelfth Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin”, Yazid said.

    Egbewole, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), will take over from the incumbent Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sulyman Age Abdulkareem, whose tenure ends October 15, 2022.

  • Unilorin ASUU seeks elders’ intervention in ending strike

    Unilorin ASUU seeks elders’ intervention in ending strike

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ilorin (Unilorin) chapter, has called on well-meaning Nigerian leaders to swiftly intervene in the ongoing industrial dispute between the union and the Federal Government.

    Making the appeal while fielding questions from newsmen on Monday in Ilorin, Prof. Moyosore Ajao, the Chairman of the union, also called on organisations to intervene in the prolong dispute.

    Ajao said he was seeking the interventions with a view to ending the strike in the interest of innocent students and their parents.

    He said that it was high time elder statesmen, traditional rulers and religious leaders of all divides stepped into the lingering debacle in the interest of the nation.

    The Professor of Anatomy said that the leadership of the union was in no way against the interventions of those whose voices would be respected by the federal government.

    He pointed out that those eminent men and women could not remain indifferent to the unfortunate situation that had compelled students to be out of their various classes for several months.

    Ajao explained that his union was forced into the action by the indifference of their employers who feigned ignorance of the demands of the union prior to and soon after the commencement of the strike.

    “Members of the union, like other well-meaning patriots, are equally not happy with the strike and its effects because they are also parents and guardians with children and wards studying in the nation’s ivory towers,” he said.

    He added that the decision of the union to embark on the strike was targeted at preserving the nation’s university system, which is currently being afflicted with brain drain and deterioration of enabling infrastructures.

  • 13 professors jostle for Unilorin VC job

    13 professors jostle for Unilorin VC job

    Thirteen university professors have been penciled down for the post of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, in Kwara State.

    The tenure of the current VC, Sulyman Abdulkareem will run to an end in October 2022.

    It was gathered that out of the 23 candidates that initially applied for the position,  only 13 were lucky to be shortlisted.

    The interview and selection process for the position is expected to come up on Monday and Tuesday this week.

    The 13 shortlisted candidates include: Professor Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, (SAN), Professor Muhammed Olanrewaju Ibrahim, Professor Bashir Ademola Raji, Professor Olubunmi Abayomi Omotesho, Professor Ibrahim Ademola Katibi, Professor Mikhaila Olayinka Buhari, and Professor Ahmed Shehu Abdulsalam.

    Others are: Professor Hassan Ajisafe Saliu, Professor Suleiman Folorunsho Ambali, Professor Raheem Adebayo Lawal, Professor Abdulrazaq Akinola Alada, Professor Baki Toyin Abdulrahim and Professor Issac Abiodun Adimula.

    Out of all the 13 names penciled down only three will make the final selection process from which the president would eventually approve one.

  • UNILORIN female student emerges best in NCC essay competition

    UNILORIN female student emerges best in NCC essay competition

    A female student of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Miss Esther Oluwabukola Gbeja has emerged as the overall best in a national essay competition organized by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC).

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Miss Esther was announced the best among other winners by the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta on Tuesday at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

    Speaking during the prize giving ceremony, Prof. Danbatta noted that the national essay competition was the third that the NCC has organized, and that the Commission received close to 2000 entries for the third edition won by Esther.

    He revealed that about 97 higher institutions of learning partook in the competition with the topic: 5G Technology: Opportunities and Challenges.

    Saying that the topic of the competition was timely, Danbatta stated that the NCC was at an important stage in the deployment of 5G technology across the country, stressing that the Commission is now ready to receive bids for 5G spectrum.

    Emphasizing on the deployment of 5G in the country, he reiterated that the Federal Government would gain N75 billion from its spectrum auctioning in 5 coming months.

    The EVC further explained that the auction was software-based, adding that provision had been made for manual auction should the auction software fail during the process.

    He informed that new entrants were allowed to participate in addition to existing licensees, and that only licensees with 100 per cent regulatory approval would be allowed to participate in the auction.

    “The NCC is at the verge of auctioning Spectrum for the provision of 5G technology and we decided to take advantage of the moment by challenging our youth to be innovative and as resourceful as their counterparts in advanced countries. The controversies surrounding COVID-19 and 5G technology are now in the past.

    “I want to reassure you that the economic benefits of 5G to Nigeria post-coronavirus pandemic will be huge, especially as almost all businesses and activities of the government are migrating and offering their services online.

    “5G will enable a new kind of network to Nigerians that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects and devices.

    “Nigeria’s vibrant youth population stands to benefit immensely from the deployment of 5G as it will offer technopreneurs, technology enthusiasts, SMEs and tech-startups to expand and network with other global players on a scale that has never been witnessed before,” he said.

    Earlier, the Chairman of the Essay Competition Committee, Mr Edoyemi Ogoh, said that the committee was guided by the commission’s guiding principles of being fair and upright in following the criteria to determine the winners.

    He said that one of the objectives that the commission engaged youths from tertiary institutions across the country was to challenge themselves in the understanding and problem solving imperatives as well as essential new technologies.

    Ogoh noted that NCC was a key stakeholder in the development and growth of the communications sector in the country.

    “The commission recognises the act of innovative thinking in growing the communications industry in Nigeria.

    “The commission engaged the youth to participate in tertiary institutions across the country to challenge themselves in the understanding and problem solving imperatives as well as essential new technologies, which is one of the objectives of the NCC in the essay competition,” he said.

    Esther, who came first spoke on behalf of other participants of the competition, she thanked the NCC and urged Nigerians to understand efforts of the Federal Government on the 5G technology.

    She also called on the NCC to come up with massive awareness creation in collaboration with diverse stakeholders and professionals in the execution of the 5G network across the country.

    TNG reports Nosa Moses Edosa from the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) emerged in second place, while Nasiru Abdulkarim from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), and Marc-Patrick Efevuriri Efeni from Nigerian Air Force Institute of Technology emerged tied in third place in the competition.

    Highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of prize money and awards to the winners of the competition. While Esther was presented a cheque of N500,000.00 and awarded a printer and a laptop, Nosa received a cheque of N300,000.00. Nasiru and Efeni, who tied at third place, each received a cheque of N200,000.00.

  • BREAKING: UNILORIN expels final student for beating female lecturer to pulp

    BREAKING: UNILORIN expels final student for beating female lecturer to pulp

    The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) has expelled a final student, Salaudeen Waliu Aanuoluwa, popularly known as Captain Walz for beating his female lecturer, Mrs Rahmat Zakariyyah to a pulp.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the management of UNILORIN made the expulsion of Waliu known on Tuesday after being found guilty of assaulting Mrs Zakariyyah, a female lecturer of the Department of Microbiology.

    A statement by the University’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr Kunle Akogun, disclosed that the verdict was handed down by the Student Disciplinary Committee where Waliu was arraigned on Monday, adding that he has 48 days to appeal against the verdict to the Vice-Chancellor in case he feels dissatisfied with the decision”.

    “Salaudeen has since been handed over to the police for further necessary action,” Akogun said.

    A letter written to Waliu by the University Registrar reads, “You will recall that you appeared before the Student Disciplinary Committee (SDC) to defend yourself in respect of an allegation of misconduct levelled against you.

    “After due consideration of all pieces of evidence before it, the Committee was convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that the allegation of misconduct has been established against you. It has accordingly recommended to the Vice-Chancellor, who in the exercise of the power conferred on him, has directed that you Salaudeen, Waliu Aanuoluwa be expelled from the University.

    “Accordingly, you are hereby expelled from the University with immediate effect.

    “You are required to submit forthwith, all University property in your custody including your Student Identity Card to the Dean of Student Affairs or his representative and keep off the campus.

    “In case you are dissatisfied with this decision, you are free to appeal to the University Council through the Dean, Faculty of Life Sciences to the Vice-Chancellor within forty-eight (48) days of the date of this letter”.