The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Southwest Zone D, has said no student was stabbed or killed inside the premises of the recently concluded NANS JCC Osun Axis Convention in Osogbo.

The association made the assertion in a statement dated August 30, 2026, following a fact-finding exercise into the death of Comrade Ademiju Ayeni, popularly known as Jago, a graduate of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree.

The statement was signed by the NANS Southwest Coordinator, Comr. Adeyemo Josiah Kayode, popularly known as Billioncodes.

According to NANS Southwest, the fact-finding exercise involved engagements with the immediate past JCC Caretaker Committee, which organised the convention, persons present at the venue, security personnel and officers of the Osun State Police Command.

The coordinator said he also personally visited the Dada Estate Police Division, Osogbo, where the matter was reported, to seek further information about the circumstances surrounding Jago’s final movements.

NANS Southwest said information presently available to it does not establish that Jago was stabbed or killed within the controlled convention premises or during the official proceedings.

The association said the convention had already been concluded before information about his condition and subsequent death began reaching some participants and officials.

The official proceedings were held within the NUJ Chapel, Capital Road, Osogbo, with accreditation and access handled by the Convention Planning Committee.

NANS Southwest said personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services and other security formations were present during the exercise.

It also said the proceedings were extensively documented through video recordings, live broadcasts and media coverage, which it believes could assist in establishing what happened within the official convention environment.

The association, however, acknowledged that an earlier verbal disagreement involving Jago and some individuals was reportedly observed outside the convention gate.

According to NANS Southwest, security personnel and stakeholders intervened and the disagreement was amicably resolved, with no stabbing reported during that encounter.

The association said information gathered during its fact-finding indicated that Jago was later in a vehicle away from the controlled convention premises before complaining of being unwell.

It said different accounts have since emerged concerning when and where he sustained the injury, who was with him at the material time and what happened before his death.

Those questions, NANS maintained, should be determined through a proper investigation involving witnesses, medical evidence, timelines and other credible material.

The new position comes amid widespread reports describing Jago as having been “stabbed to death at the NANS convention.”

An earlier report by Sunday PUNCH quoted unnamed convention participants who alleged that a member of the programme’s security committee stabbed Ayeni while attempting to prevent him from gaining access to the convention venue.

However, the allegation has not been publicly confirmed by the police.

Osun State Police spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi confirmed Ayeni’s death but gave a more cautious account of the sequence of events.

Ojelabi said there had been an earlier disagreement during the convention, but that the matter was settled before those involved dispersed.

According to the police spokesperson, Ayeni later complained of chest pain and was discovered to have sustained a stab wound. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The police said an autopsy would be conducted, while no arrest had been publicly confirmed at the time of the earlier report.

NANS Southwest also addressed reports attempting to link possession of accreditation or security tags to responsibility for Ayeni’s death.

The association said accreditation and security tags were administered by the former Caretaker Committee, which also served as the Convention Planning Committee.

It argued that possession of an accreditation or security tag cannot, by itself, establish responsibility for an incident alleged to have occurred elsewhere or prove that a particular student leader brought anyone to commit violence.

The association also acknowledged reports suggesting a possible cult-related dimension to the death but stressed that it would not present such claims as established fact.

NANS Southwest called on the appropriate anti-cultism and investigative units of the Osun State Police Command to examine every credible angle, including Jago’s movements, persons who were with him before his death, earlier disputes and any other relevant evidence.

It also cautioned journalists, bloggers and political actors against presenting unverified allegations as established facts.

According to the association, there is a fundamental difference between an incident occurring inside a convention and an incident involving someone who had earlier been around the vicinity of a convention.

NANS Southwest further warned against attempts to turn Jago’s death into a political weapon arising from grievances connected to the concluded NANS JCC Osun election.

It maintained that whoever is eventually established to be responsible should face the law, while innocent individuals should not be condemned through rumours, assumptions or political interests.

The association again extended its condolences to Jago’s family, loved ones and the entire Osun State Polytechnic, Iree community.

The precise location where Jago sustained the fatal injury, the identity of the person responsible and the circumstances leading to his death remain matters for police investigation.