We Are Not Safe: Students Cry Out as Robbers Strike Moremi Estate Again Despite Increasing Outrage

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By Kehinde Ayodele 
For the second time in one month, students residing in Moremi Estate have taken to the streets in protest after another violent robbery swept through the estate in the early hours of Monday morning, May 19th. This marks the seventh time robbers have attacked the student populated neighborhood in recent times, leaving residents traumatized, fearful, and frustrated.

According to eyewitnesses, the robbers struck around 1:00AM, breaking into a hostel and leaving at one person severely injured. The alarm was first raised through a group chat created after the initial protest. However, the attackers had already escaped before police or security could respond. Shockingly, students reported that the night guards on duty had locked themselves inside a toilet during the incident. A resident said, “The robbers came with guns, cutlasses, and axes. They did not even bother to cover their faces, They broke through an iron door in my hostel and beat my neighbor mercilessly. It is like they knew exactly where they were going.”


Just weeks earlier, on April 9th, residents of Moremi had experienced a similar ordeal. Robbers, reportedly fresh from looting another hostel nearby, stormed Omolewa Hostel within the estate, demanding valuables from residents at gunpoint. In some cases, students were forced to make transfers under duress. One student, who was attacked while in the bathroom, suffered a brutal beating after resisting entry. Seven laptops and numerous phones were taken in that single attack, leaving residents deeply shaken.

Despite the initial outrage and a protest that followed the previous robbery, students say there has been no real change in security conditions. Many feel abandoned, forced to fend for themselves in the face of growing threats.

“All of us in Moremi Estate are fighting this battle ourselves,” said one student protester. “We have seen no visible improvement. The estate committee keeps saying things will be done, but we haven’t seen anything.”

Among their demands are functioning streetlights, gated checkpoints, proper patrol systems, and restricted night access to the estate’s multiple entry points that lead to Modakeke, Asherifa, and Mayfair.

“This is an estate, not a village,” a protester stated. “Other estates have working gates and security. Why should we be left vulnerable every night?”

The psychological impact has become severe for many students particularly females who now live in constant fear. “I cannot sleep well at night,” said one female student. “I am scared I will be raped or killed. I just want to feel safe in my own room.”

In response to growing pressure from students, the Students’ Union Security Committee issued a release on May 19th, outlining their actions following the robberies. According to the statement, Union officials met with the Deputy Commissioner of Police of Osun State, who reportedly mandated all police commands in Ile-Ife to act swiftly on the matter. The Committee also led police patrol teams, including Divisional Police Officers from Moore and Modakeke stations, to D & D Hostel, another recently affected location.

The Union’s statement further mentioned plans to circulate an emergency contact number and confirmed that their security hotline remains active. They assured students that surveillance had been carried out to trace the robbers’ routes and promised continued collaboration with the police to secure student areas. While the release signals a renewed effort by the Union, for many students, the damage has already been done. Confidence in the system remains low, and the fear that the next robbery might be deadlier is growing.

“We are not even asking for luxury,” said a resident. “Just the basic right to feel safe in our homes. That is all.” As uncertainty continues to cloud the nights in Moremi Estate, one thing is clear: the students are no longer protesting out of anger alone. They are protesting out of desperation.  

Comments

  1. Sheriff Olaiwon Adekunle20 May 2025 at 02:19

    Despite those useless local guards?
    I hate them like mad, after dem go ask person for money for that place sey dey wan use am chop, thieves still dey enter....
    Nah unarmed thief collected phone from a jambite for my area in parakin last month, funny thing is that the scene was exactly where the local guards use to stay, he was totally absence from the position at the time.

    ReplyDelete

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