The remains of the victim were found in a wardrobe after he had allegedly hanged himself with a rope at the KSUSTA PG hostel
The death of one Ayo Adekunle Ajala, a PhD student at the Department of Crop Science, Kebbi State University of Science and Technology (KSUSTA), Aliero, has been surrounded by controversy.
Ajala allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself with a rope but this has led to a disagreement between the school management and the family of the deceased.
The remains of the victim were found in a wardrobe after he had allegedly hanged himself with a rope at the KSUSTA PG hostel, the Punch reports.
A sum of N291,000 was found in the deceased’s room, while his two phones and a laptop were taken away by the police.
Two days after his demise, a post reportedly appeared on social media saying, “This young boy (sic), Ayo Ajala, a PhD student, hanged himself to death at KSUSTA PG hostel. The cause of his suicide is yet to be uncovered."
A photograph also emerged showing the deceased’s lifeless body in a squatting position. There also emerged another picture of bloodstains covered with sand on the floor of the room.
But the family of the victim said their son, Ajala, was murdered as against the claim by the school management that he committed suicide.
The family described the suicide theory as baseless and outright falsehood.
According to the brother-in-law of the deceased, Pastor Ola Mustapha, who went to see the scene of the incident, the rope which the school authority claimed was used by Ajala was not strong and long enough to support suicide.
He added that the wardrobe in which they claimed Ajala hanged himself, is not tall enough for someone of his height to have hanged himself in.
“On getting to the campus, I requested to see his corpse, but I was told that it had been evacuated to the hospital and I headed straight for the hospital, where I demanded to see the body, and they obliged. On my request, they took me to his room, where he was the sole occupant, but the room was under lock and key.
“When I peeped into the room through the window, I noticed plenty of sand and upon enquiry, I was told that the sand was poured on bloodstains on the floor.
“Evidence at our disposal showed that the rope they claimed to have found on his neck was not strong or long enough to hold someone who wished to commit suicide. The wardrobe they claimed to have found his corpse in is not tall enough for someone of Ayo’s height to have hanged himself in.
“This sudden twist has added more grieve to the family. We are bombarded with numerous calls from those trying to find out the true position. However, we are holding our peace in honour of the departed, but anxiously waiting for the outcome of the investigation,” he explained.
His distraught father, Mr Ayodeji Ajala, told journalists that “Ayo left home in Sokoto last Tuesday for school at Aliero, Kebbi State, and the elder sister told us that he communicated with her in the evening that he got to school safely.
“The following day, we made repeated calls to him; I decided to travel to Aliero on Thursday to check on him as it was very unusual for him not to take his calls or call back.
“On getting to the school in company with his younger brother, we noticed that people were gathered in front of the hostel. When I got there, I was given a chair to sit on and some lecturers were already seated. They broke the sad news to me and their narration was that when they opened Ayo’s room that Thursday, they saw his lifeless body.
“I was then asked if I would like to see his corpse, but I politely declined. His younger brother was inconsolable. I was then taken to an office, from where I contacted my son-in-law, who later joined us from Sokoto.
“The school never mentioned anything about suicide when they broke the news of his death to me. The officials only said his body was found in his room and the police were already investigating his death. They also asked if I wanted his remains to be buried in Aliero and I insisted that he should be taken to Sokoto.
“My son had no reason to and could not have contemplated such a cruel and ungodly act as suicide. He was a well brought up, God-fearing, obedient and well-behaved child. As I am talking to you, the police have yet to contact us. So, how did the theory of suicide come in?”
Ajala had his first degree at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and had his master’s degree at the Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, where he returned to for his PhD.
The cause of death is still not known but an investigation is ongoing.
As of the time of filing this story, no official statement had come from the university management over Ajala’s death.