A strange but fetish-like object said to have been placed in front of the main entrance gate into the campus of the University of Ibadan (UI), by unknown persons Friday morning, caused students, workers and other passersby to fret as they approached its vicinity.

A student of UI, who is an eyewitness, narrating his experience to Tribune Online, said, on arrival at the UI gate Friday morning, he saw the strange object, a wooden image carved in human form, carefully placed in front of the entrance gate.

Speaking further, he said it was presented as if a kind of “ritual offering” seeing ripped pepper and tomatoes circled around it.

When Tribune Online spoke with a senior staff member of the school, he, though said he was yet to see it, but stated that it wasn’t strange for members of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) of the institution to place fetish objects in strategic areas of the school when they embark on strike to scare people away.

The NASU leadership on Thursday, called out its members in UI to begin an indefinite strike action against the school authorities to press home its demands for better welfare package.

However, when Tribune Online spoke with NASU chairman, UI, Comrade Malachy Etim, he confirmed the development, saying it was the union that placed what he called “a harmless object in front of UI gate, which according to him, “only symbolises the unity of our union.” (Nigerian Tribune)