One of the students at Ajayi Crowther University (ACU), Oyo, was beaten to death by fellow students who accused him of stealing a mobile phone belonging to one of them.

A source within the institution told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday that the students started beating their colleague at around 10 p.m. on Friday after discovering that he was the one who stole a phone.

The source, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on behalf of the university, said that aside stealing the phone, the student was also said to have transferred a certain amount from the phone to another account.

Some short video clips sighted by a NAN correspondent showed a male student beating his colleague who was seen rolling on the floor, while another was heard shouting ‘harder, harder’, indicating that he should beat him the more.

The source said that the students were enraged by the theft of the phone and the transfer of the money from the account of the owner.

The source further stated that the deceased was thrown out of the hostel on Friday evening, where he was discovered to have died early on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the school authorities have announced the expulsion of the students said to have been involved in what they called the ‘fight that led to the death of a fellow student’.

The institution, in a statement issued by its Public Relations Officer, Mr Femi Atoyebi, on Saturday evening, however, denied the reports making the rounds that those involved in the killing were members of a secret cult.

“Contrary to what is trending, the university affirms that there is no cultism in the institution, just as the university has zero tolerance for any sort of anti-societal vices and misconduct.

“It is important to stress that the expelled students do not belong to any cult group,” he said.

Atoyebi said what actually happened was that the deceased was alleged to have stolen a mobile telephone.

He, however, said that instead of reporting the matter to the university management, the expelled students could not control their emotions, adding that their actions led to the unfortunate death of the student.

The spokesperson said that the institution reacted swiftly by handing over all the students involved to the police for investigation, assuring all that justice would be served.

“The university remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring a safe, conducive, peaceful and godly atmosphere for learning,” he said.