Murder of UNIPORT students: Police Takes Action

FOUR students of the University of Port Harcourt were on Friday lynched in Aluu Community, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State for allegedly stealing phones and laptops in an off campus hostel.

The students, who were identified as Lloyd, Tekena, Ugonna and Chidiaka, were beaten and later set ablaze by the mob suspected to be members of the community.

It was gathered that the community saw the situation as an opportunity to vent their anger on the students after being terrorised by armed robbers within the past three months.

Photographs of how the four suspects were killed were immediately placed on the social media, even as most commentators condemned the act and described it as jungle justice.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ben Ugwuegbulam, confirmed the incident and added that investigation into the murder of the students was ongoing.

“Nobody has the right to kill a fellow human being. We expected that the suspects should have been handed over to the police and not the jungle justice that was meted out to them (suspects),” he said.

Reacting to the incident, the UNIPORT’s Public Relations Officer, Dr. William Wodi, told SUNDAY PUNCH that he had yet to confirm if those killed by a mob were students of the institution.

Wodi explained that the incident took place in Aluu community, adding that the university had no jurisdiction over the area where the four persons were murdered.

In a related development, a member of the National Youths Service Corps serving in Kwara State and two other men (names withheld by the police) have been arrested for their alleged involvement in armed robbery.

The corps member was said to be serving at Ira, a town near Igbaja in Ifelodun Local Government Council of the state.

The three suspects were apprehended by the Kwara State Command of the Nigeria Police Force.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Kwara State, Mr. Olufemi Fabode, confirmed the arrests. He added that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad had commenced investigation into the incident.

The Kwara State Coordinator of the NYSC, Mrs. Ezinne Ezekwe, said she could not confirm the involvement of the corps member.

“I am still expecting the Commissioner of Police to brief me on the incident officially before I can make any comment,” she said.

Punch Nigeria