The Lagos State chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Council has called on the Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, to investigate the Ojo Police Division over allegations of negligence, extortion, and deliberate mishandling of the murder case of Adedamola Ogunbode.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the students criticised the Ojo Police Division for initially treating the case as a “missing person” incident despite evidence suggesting otherwise.
The command announced on Friday the arrest of three suspects and the search for five others linked to the murder of the 2024 graduate of Lagos State University, Ogunbode.
Ogunbode, the LASU Political Science Education graduate, had been missing since January 16, 2025, amid speculation that his mutilated body had been found.
The spokesperson for the command, Chief Superintendent of Police Benjamin Hundeyin, announced that the case, initially treated as a missing person’s report, was now a suspected murder investigation.
The union commended Jimoh for intervening and upgrading the case to a suspected murder but condemned the initial delay.
The statement, signed by the Chairman, Comrade Abdul-Raheem Abdul-Quadri, and the Public Relations Officer, Comrade Ridwan Ajayi, accused the Ojo Police Division of attempting a cover-up, urging the police commissioner to probe the division.
The statement read, “We have seen multiple video interviews where the parents of the deceased graduate revealed that they were extorted multiple times by officers at Ojo Police Division while seeking justice.
“This is the same division that initially dismissed the case instead of conducting a proper criminal investigation.
“We have strong reasons to believe that officers at Ojo Police Division were compromised, likely accepting bribes from the suspects or the criminal syndicate involved in this case.
“This would explain why they attempted to sweep the matter under the carpet until public outrage forced their superiors to act.”
The students cited previous instances where the Ojo Police Division allegedly failed students, including the 2021 murder of Comrade Nurudeen Alowonle Omomeewa, which remains unresolved.
“This is not the first time the Ojo Police Division has mishandled a critical case involving Nigerian students.
“We painfully recall the brutal killing of our dear comrade and brother in struggle, Comrade Nurudeen Alowonle Omomeewa, who was assassinated outside Lagos State University in August 2021.
“Till this day, despite multiple protests, petitions, and demands, justice has not been served,” the statement read.
To ensure justice, the students called for immediate suspension and possible prosecution of any officers found guilty of negligence or a cover-up.
The students also demanded a refund of all money allegedly extorted from Ogunbode’s family.
They also demanded the extradition of two key suspects who reportedly fled to Cotonou, Benin Republic.
“We demand the Lagos State Police Command immediately engage international police and Beninese authorities to secure their extradition. Justice is incomplete without the prosecution of all syndicates involved in this organised crime,” the statement added.
The students warned that failure to meet these demands would result in mass protests at Ojo Police Station.
“We are issuing a clear warning: this is the last time Nigerian students will tolerate such injustice from the Nigeria Police Force.
“Failure to meet our demands will leave us with no choice but to mobilise Nigerian students for a mass protest,” the statement concluded.
