Cultism, Where’s Thy Sting? A Martyr’s Legacy In OAU- Adedapo Taiwo Emmanuel
The deadly incident recorded in Ile-Ife, Osun state on July 10, 1999, has remained a dark chapter in the history of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).
This tragic event that occurred at the OAU campus resulted in the death of five students and left over eleven others injured.
The perpetrators of this heinous act were members of the Black Axe Confraternity, an organized death squad comprising 40 individuals. Clad in black trousers and black T-shirts, they wore face masks and they invaded the Awolowo Hall at the university campus at about 4:30 am. Armed with shotguns and hatchets, they unleashed violence upon the unsuspecting students.
According to Prof. Roger Makanjuola in his book titled, ‘Water Must Flow Uphill: Adventures in University Administration’ the Students’ Union had received information about secret cult members gathering in a house at the senior staff quarters. In response, George Iwilade, the Secretary General of the union, mobilized students.
They discovered the cult members inside the house, armed with guns, wearing black clothing, and displaying the regalia of the Black Axe cult. The university management was informed, and the cult members were handed over to the police. However, to everyone’s surprise, they were granted bail after just two weeks.
The then vice-chancellor of the university, Professor Wale Omole, failed to take any action regarding the massacre. Throughout his eight-year tenure, he showed no seriousness in combating cultism on the campus.
Actually, it became a common thing for apprehended cultists to return to campus unscathed, while student activists who protested against them were expelled. The Omole-led management did not punish any cultists, as documented in various demands made by the students.
Lanre Legacy, the then Union President, revealed that the PRO of the Union and some other Union Officers were working for the university management against the wishes of the majority of the students. This incident highlights the presence of sly and oppressive individuals among the student body. As students, we must remain vigilant and root out these individuals before they harm our Union. According to Legacy, the PRO of the union was aware of an impending attack by the cultists on the Union Officers at Awo Hall but chose not to inform his colleagues due to his association with Wale Omole, the ‘cultism patron’ at the material time.
George Iwilade and four others were brutally massacred on the campus of Obafemi Awolowo University. Their only ‘crime’ was their opposition to cultism on the campus.
Today, students at OAU can walk freely without fear of attacks from secret cult members. However, this freedom is being challenged by recent developments on campus. The only way to maintain a cultism-free university is to have a vibrant students’ union.
The death of Afrika and others marked a significant loss for the unionists of that time. Particularly disheartening was the decision of Prof. Wale Omole, the then Vice-Chancellor of OAU, to extend a hand of friendship to the killers of Afrika and others.
Nevertheless, the death of these heroes is now commemorated as the reason for the freedom enjoyed on the OAU campus today. The blood of Afrika serves as a purifier for the campus. Although justice has not been served, the cause of his death is laid to rest.
We must remember that whatever we do today will become history tomorrow. Let us not betray our generation, as exemplified by Afrika and the other students that were killed in July 1999. Though they are gone, they will forever live in our hearts.
Afrika will be remembered for his goodness and sacrifices, while the wickedness of Wale Omole will forever be recorded. —Adedapo Taiwo Emmanuel (Network), who is the President of the National Association of Osun state Students (NAOSS), writes from Ile-Ife, Osun state.
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