Cross River varsity shut over security breakdown

University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) in Calabar was on Friday morning shutdown and students asked to vacate the campus following the breakdown of security in the school.

It was gathered that trouble started the previous night when a final year student of Visual Art Department witnessed a gang of criminals robbing a female student of her smart phone.

He elected to challenge the criminals in a bid to retrieve the phone but gang of criminals attacked him; “they stabbed him multiple times and he fell down, bleeding fatally.”

It was gathered that the attack happened near the school administrative building, few meters away from the security post at about 9pm and all attempts to rush the wounded student to the hospital was delayed by the security officials who gave several excuses for not using the school vehicle at the security post to transport the victim.

A group of students who spoke in the midst of the protest that erupted on Friday morning explained that the delay in rushing the victim to the hospital led to his death.

They said the late student was of Visual Arts department and was in school for his final clearance after his final year exams.

They revealed that the school security is reported to have caught two out of the gang of criminals who snatched the phone and stabbed the late victim.

“All we want is let the school security release the suspects they have arrested to us. They said the suspects have been handed to the Police and by our experiences in the past, crimes will happen like this in school and suspects will be arrested and reported to be handed over to the police and nothing will be heard again about it.

“That is our anger. Since they cannot protect us, let us protect ourselves. The Police came this morning and started shooting severally. There is no security in the school. No light security lights in the school, no water and they refused to save a life; giving excuses of no fuel in the vehicle, waiting for one person or the other. It is unacceptable,” the angry students said.

The name of the late victim was not known as at time of filing this report but his nickname was given as FORD.

The school authority has not issued any statement but a combine security force of the Military and the Police were seen outside the school gate, while students were parking out of the hostels following a directive that management has shutdown the university temporary till further notice.

Cross River State Police Commissioner CP Sikiru Kayode Akande confirmed the incident saying that some students protested and wanted to burn down the administrative building of the University following the death of a student.

He said cultists caused the problem and “some of the cultists have been arrested, still some idiots gathered themselves under the guise of protesting the death of a student; they want to go and burn the university administrative building; who will be at a loss?

Adding, “I am using this medium to sound a note of warning, any attempt by any group of persons, under any guise, disturb the peace we have in Cross River State will be marched with all forces that is required.

“I have advised the Vice Chancellor to go back to the school and address the students and if they are still riotously gathered, he should shutdown the school and then we move in and anybody we find will be treated as a criminal.”

The Vice Chancellor it was gathered acted on the police advice and shutdown the school when the students refused let off their anger. (Nation)