A student of Babcock University, Illishan Remo, Ogun State, who was declared missing by his mother, Oladipupo Siwajuola, has been expelled by the institution’s management for engaging in fetish practices and drug peddling among others.
The Babcock’s Director of Marketing and Communication, Joshua Suleiman, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
Siwajuola’s disappearance was brought to light by his mother, Fijabi Oyindamola Omotayo, who took to Facebook on May 3 to demand the whereabouts of her son and to allege negligence on the part of the institution.
Following her outcry, the student was later found but Babcock University management revealed that he had left the campus without authorisation.
The institution had also indicated that it could institute a lawsuit against the parent over what they described as a “sensational and misleading” social media outburst.
In the Wednesday statement, Babcock varsity disclosed that Siwajuola had deliberately left the campus without clearance and disguised himself in a hoodie to sneak out through the university’s Teaching Hospital gate.
Suleiman added that the student, upon returning to the campus on May 15, was invited by the Department of Secret Service, where he confessed to several acts of misconduct which were against the institution’s guidelines.
He continued, “Among them was the purchase of black soap from a traditional herbalist for N100,000, which contradicted his mother’s earlier claim that she had given it to him to treat a skin condition. Siwajuola admitted that the soap was intended for ritual purposes, as part of a “Yahoo Yahoo Plus” scheme, a slang term for internet fraud mixed with fetish practices.
“He revealed he was engaging in fetish practices in an attempt to get rich quickly.
“He also confessed to drug peddling, borrowing N500,000 from an online loan app to fund gambling, and impersonating another student to open a bank account.”
The statement further noted that Siwajuola had sold his phone without authorisation and misled the buyer by claiming that his father had consented.
While contrasting Siwajuola’s mother’s claim that her son was found by his secondary school friends, the university disclosed that it was Sodiq’s mother, the parent of a friend he stayed with in Lagos, who discovered his presence in their home and alerted his family after noticing the growing online controversy.
Following investigations, Babcock University stated that Siwajuola was found liable for multiple offences, including “unauthorised exit from campus, possession and use of fetish materials, drug peddling, impersonation and dishonesty, and unauthorised sale of personal property.”
The university added that it had no choice but to expel Siwajuola per global best practices.
“While we recognise the emotional weight of this decision, especially for the family involved, our foremost responsibility remains the safety and moral integrity of all students entrusted to our care,” Suleiman said.
While expressing displeasure towards the mother’s public outcry, the university said it would not be instituting a lawsuit against her because of the conduct of Siwajuola’s father.
“These claims were not only false but also misleading.
“However, because of the responsible conduct shown by the student’s father, the university will not pursue a libel case at this time,” Suleiman concluded.
