Agricultural Economics Department, University of Ibadan, second-year student Adekunle Adepeju at the time of the incident. The University of Ibadan’s students protested the institution’s poor conditions, including the catering services’ poor quality, which was made worse by the hall manageress’s ostensible dishonesty, prior to his death.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Lambo, was petitioned by the students to remove the manager immediately because they believed she was ineffective and had bad public relations.
Students from Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall at the University of Ibadan started the demonstration because the management was reluctant to fire the manageress. The police were invited by the vice chancellor to assist in controlling the student protests, which got underway on Saturday, January 30, 1971.
Numerous accounts describe Kunle Adepeju as a shy young man who was known for wandering the campus while playing his flute. However, on February 1st, 1971, Kunle Adepeju was struck by a stray bullet that a police officer had fired into the protesting crowd in front of Queen Elizabeth II Hall at the University of Ibadan. A white bed sheet was placed over his lifeless body, which was placed close to the Queen’s Hall bus stop.
According to reports, he was aiding a fellow student whose leg had been shot. The moment Kunle’s body hit the ground, he was already dead. The killing sparked a fierce backlash from the public, and numerous other students were injured. .
Ibadan and Lagos both saw the onset of a 4-day protest. Police officers who removed their uniforms to flee the violence were pursued by demonstrators who had burned down police stations, according to Reuters.
All students in Nigeria remember the great bravery of a real hero, Adekunle Ademuyiwa Adepeju. His courage, bravery, and selflessness continue to serve as a powerful fulcrum for justice.
The University of Ibadan Students’ Union Building, also known as the Kunle Adepeju Building and home to the statue of the late Kunle Adepeju, is one of the many buildings one would see today upon arriving on the University of Ibadan Campus.
This building’s placement on campus appears to be done on purpose to serve as a constant reminder to all students that there is a strong, forward-thinking student body that will always stand up for their rights.