The management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has condemned a violent robbery attack on students’ hostels that left three students injured and has called for tighter security within and around the university community.

The university’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olanrewaju, confirmed the incident in a statement on Wednesday, describing the attack as “unnecessary and unfortunate.”

According to reports, suspected robbers invaded off-campus hostels on Monday night, breaking into rooms, carting away valuables including phones, laptops, and cash and injuring several students.

Videos circulating online showed bloodstains on the floor of one of the rooms and broken burglar-proof windows, painting a grim picture of the violence.

Olanrewaju said three students sustained machete wounds during the incident and were promptly treated at the university’s health centre. The injured students were identified as Ogedengbe Emmanuel Oluwafemi and Emmanuel Akinribiye, both Part Four students of Management and Accounting, and Olalekan David Okemiga, a final-year Mathematics student.

“The management of the Obafemi Awolowo University condemns in strong terms the attacks on our students by hoodlums who not only rob them of their valuables but also inflict injuries,” Olanrewaju stated.

He praised the Students’ Union Government (SUG) for their swift action in rescuing and assisting the injured students, adding that the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Bamire, has directed security agencies, including the Nigerian Police and the Department of State Services (DSS), to intensify patrols around student residential areas.

Bamire commended the quick response of officers from the A Division, Ile-Ife, and the Oke-Otubu Division, Modakeke, while appealing to security operatives to maintain consistent surveillance to ensure students’ safety.

He also urged stakeholders and education supporters to invest in building more on-campus hostels, noting that housing more students within university premises would enhance security monitoring and reduce exposure to such attacks.

The incident has reignited concerns among students about rising insecurity around campus communities, with the SUG reiterating calls for sustained government and institutional intervention to prevent a recurrence.