Nine killed at AAU graduation party

• Police blame rival cult clash, confirm one dead, four injured
• Undergraduate hangs self in Anambra

Nine persons including six final year students of the Edo State-owned university, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, have been reported killed at a graduation party. The party was held at Ihimudun road, Ekpoma in Esan West local government area. It was gathered that three of the deceased were former students of the institution invited to the party while others just concluded their final examinations. Another source in the local government area said the dead were four males and one female while two others were critically injured.

Among the dead were a final year medical student known as Chibudum Eistein, and son of a former chairman of the local council. The source said the victims were shot dead by a student who earlier fought with his colleague over a girl. It was gathered that the suspect angrily walked out of the party after his shirt got torn but returned with his friends and shot nine persons dead.

A lecturer in the university who pleaded anonymity confirmed the incident but said it happened outside the campus. The professor said they were yet to get full details of what actually transpired. The university spokesman, Edward Aihevba, refused to comment on the killings.But the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Johnson Kokumo, has confirmed the killing of a student and four others injured at the graduation party.

He said it was a clash among members of rival cult groups. While unconfirmed reports said a final year medical student of the university and eight others were killed during the clash on Tuesday night, Kokumo stated that he could only confirm the death of one person while four others sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to an undisclosed hospital.

He said: “I am currently in Osun State for a national assignment, but the report reaching me does not confirm 10 or nine dead. I got a wind of it that five people were shot in a cult rivalry. The people at war were members of different cult groups. The shooting was as a result of cult rivalry; that is the information reaching me. Arrests have been made. I think four or six people have been arrested with weapons recovered. I do not know whether all of the victims actually died.

In another development, a 29-year old student of College of Education Nsugbe, Anambra East local council area of Anambra State, reportedly committed suicide in his off-campus hostel. The deceased, Philips Chinedu, a native of Eziowelle in Idemili North LGA of the state, was said to have been found hung dead on the ceiling fan in his room at about 8:40p.m.

Confirming the report, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Haruna Mohammed, in a statement, said the body was deposited at the hospital morgue for autopsy.This is coming after a 25-year-old man, Shola Abisola, at the weekend, committed suicide in his room in Awka, the Anambra State capital. The deceased, a native of Ikogbo in Ado-Odo/Ota local government area of Ogun State, was reportedly found lying unconscious in his room after taking a poisonous substance.

A resident of the area said the deceased was rushed to Amaku Teaching Hospital where he was certified dead while receiving treatment. Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Haruna Mohammed, said the body has been deposited at the mortuary for autopsy.