The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has denied reports that a former student of Osun State Polytechnic, Ademiju Ayeni, popularly known as “Jago,” was killed during its recently concluded convention in Osun State.

The clarification followed a report by a national newspaper alleging that Ayeni was stabbed to death at the convention venue, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Osogbo.

In a statement, the Zone D NANS Coordinator, Comrade Adeyemo Josiah, said no death occurred during the official proceedings of the convention, stressing that the incident involving Ayeni happened several hours after the meeting had ended.

Josiah explained that the convention was held within the secured premises of the NUJ Council on Capital Road, Osogbo, where accreditation and access were managed by the Convention Planning Committee.

He added that personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies were deployed throughout the event.

According to him, the proceedings were also extensively captured through video recordings, live broadcasts, including TikTok Live, and reports by various media organisations, providing records of activities at the venue.

The coordinator acknowledged that Ayeni had earlier been involved in a verbal confrontation with some individuals outside the convention premises but said the disagreement was reportedly brought under control after security personnel and other stakeholders intervened.

He maintained that no stabbing was reported during the confrontation.

Josiah called for responsible reporting of the incident, warning against the circulation of information that could misrepresent the circumstances surrounding the death or undermine the credibility of the convention.

He also cautioned student leaders and political actors against using the incident to pursue grievances arising from the recently concluded Joint Consultative Council (JCC) election.

“The election has ended,” he said, urging stakeholders not to turn the death of the young man into a tool for political retaliation, factional interests or further division among students in Osun State.

The NANS coordinator stressed that preliminary fact-finding had not established that any student was killed within the official convention or that the fatal incident occurred during its proceedings.

He called for a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding Ayeni’s death, saying witnesses’ accounts, medical evidence, timelines and other credible evidence should guide the process.

Josiah added that anyone found culpable should face the law, while innocent persons should not be accused on the basis of rumours, assumptions or political considerations.