See how UNIBEN student killed by JTF driver

A 20-year-old Philosophy student of the University of Benin, Edo State, Rita Awele,who died on Sunday as a result of injuries sustained in a motor accident on the Lagos-Benin expressway has been buried.

According to the Students Union Government, she was buried on Wednesday, in an emotional service at her hometown in Delta State,

Awele was confirmed dead at the hospital after she and her classmate, Efe Esther, were knocked down by a JTF ‘Operation Pulo Shield’ vehicle driven by a soldier.

The accident had sparked a massive protest on Tuesday by students of the university, who attributed the tragedy and other reported cases of road accident around the university to the absence of speed bumps, zebra crossing signs and a flyover around the institution’s main gate.

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The students, who grounded traffic for several hours, in their black attire, in solidarity with their late colleagues, also demanded adequate compensations for the families of the victims.

UNIBEN Students protesting at the front of the school gate. Photo: Alexander Okere

The SUG President, Raymond Omorogbe, told Southern City News on Friday that representatives from the SUG, the Department of Philosophy and the university management, were also present at the burial ceremony.

Omorogbe, however, said that the other victim, who had been responding to treatment at the hospital, had been discharged and was recuperating, contrary to speculation by some of the students that she did not survive.

But the students’ body warned that while zebra crossing signs had been placed on the road and talks on the construction of a flyover had been initiated by the school management, it might resort to another round of protest if the speed breakers were not fixed.

“As it stands now, they are done with the Zebra crossing and for today and tomorrow, they are going to be working on the speed breakers.

“Everything is not completely settled; we have given them between now and Tuesday to put in place the breakers. That is the only we will not go back to the streets,” he added.