…Final Year Student Shot Dead
…Exams Disrupted As Cultists Regroup
…VC Queried Over Killing, ‘Sorting’
Tragedy struck Monday, on the campus of the Rivers State University, Nkpolu, when a final year student of the Faculty of Agriculture was shot in the head and later died. The body of the deceased was said to have been evacuated by a bus belonging to Student Union Government in the institution and was taken to Rivers State University Teaching hospital where he was confirmed dead.
But, the events that took place day after the killing indicated that the cult crisis in the institution was far from over, as there were reported cases of sporadic shooting on the campus. The development made many to establish the fact that the Monday killing must have been a reprisal attack by opposition cult group.
Our investigation revealed that the killing of Prince Tuaka, a final year agric student, in front of the NDDC female hostel was masterminded by a rival cult group.
The spokesperson of Rivers State Police command, Nnamdi Omoni did not respond to several text messages sent to him by our reporter, neither did he pick calls put across to him.
Earlier, a statement credited to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, who confirmed the incident, the police have swung into action to unravel the mysteries surrounding the killing.
Also, a student who claimed to have witnessed the incident said that students on their own did what they could to save the life of the dead student .He revealed that shortly after the news spread across the university about the tragedy, some of them were on hand to save the deceased by carrying him first to the clinic before conveying him to the university hospital where he was confirmed dead.
He said that following the sad development, both the SUG and the university authorities were working hand in hand to bring the situation under control.
Our investigation also revealed that the deceased hails from Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Earlier, another source disclosed that the rival gang after firing the shot immediately fled the scene having achieved their target.
The incident we learnt resulted to stampede as students scampered for safety.
The deceased was accused of involvement in cult related activities as he was said to be the second-in-command of the dreaded Vikings Confraternity. He was said to have been shot dead by a suspected rival Klux Klan cult members.
Meanwhile the cult war continued on Tuesday as the two groups reportedly engaged themselves in exchange of gunfire.
We gathered that the development led to disruption of exams in the institution as students who were ready for examinations fled from the venue where they were sited awaiting the arrival of the lecturer.
Several students who spoke to this publication advised the school Management to beef up security in the institution to prevent total breakdown of law and order.
It would be recalled that this medium had exclusively reported the resurfacing and regrouping of cult clashes in the institution and also the arrest of two suspected student cultists by the Azikiwe Divisional Police headquarters located at Illabouchi Mile II Diobu during cultural day celebration in the institution first week of July, 2019.
As at press time, officials of anti-cultism unit of Rivers State Police Command were patrolling inside the campus of the university yesterday, in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has queried the Vice Chancellor of the Rivers State University, Professor Blessing Didia over the rising cases of cultism in the campus, particularly circumstances that led to the killing of the final year Agric student on Monday which allegedly precipitated heavy shootings within the school’s campus on Tuesday.
Irked by the development, Governor Wike through a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu also queried the Vice Chancellor over recent rampant complaints of ‘sorting’ within the university system.
Governor Wike directed the Vice Chancellor to respond to the query in writing within 24 hours.
