Aggrieved students of the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic (AkwaPoly), Ikot Osurua, in Ikot Ekpene Local Council have decried incessant attacks by suspected cultists.
The appeal followed incidents at the weekend where a final year National Diploma (ND2) student of the Department of Electrical Electronics, Comrade Udeme Solomon, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen, who also made away with his smart phone.
Also a HND2 student of the same department, identified as Victor Odu, was shot by the hoodlums.A student of the department, Etieno Bassey, who confirmed late Udeme’s killing, lamented that he eventually died “despite efforts by good Samaritans to save him.”
It was gathered that the remains of the slain student were hurriedly buried on Sunday in his hometown in Ika Local Council, amid tears by his parents and colleagues.
Calling for a standby vigilante group that would work alongside the regular police, a resident of Ikot Osurua, Ifiok Usen, said: “An unidentified group of boys have been operating mercilessly in the polytechnic community at the late hours of night.” He advised students to be extremely vigilant and avoid moving about at night.
One student, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “The situation in Ikot Osurua is critical.”
He noted: “On Friday night, one Victor Odu, an outgoing HND2 student in the Department of Electrical Electronics, was shot near the former Christ Embassy Church, along Ekani road. He underwent emergency surgery to remove six bullets from his face and is currently recovering.”
Warning fellow students to be wary, the president of the department, Wisdom Nnamso, said if the victims had taken personal security precautions, perhaps the sad incidents would have been avoided.
The spokesperson for Akwa Ibom State Police Command, ASP Timfon John, confirmed the incident.
