OWERRI — A second year engineering student of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) has been murdered in cold blood by his colleague in “bizarre circumstances”. Confirming the news of the ugly incident during a press briefing, the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the institution, Professor Jude Ejike Njoku, said that the incident took place outside the campus.”The deceased student’s name is Stanley Egwu Okoh. He is a 200 level civil engineering student and a native of Afikpo in Ebonyi State.
The incident took place at their residence in Obinze”, the VC said. Professor Njoku also explained that “the information I got from the security agencies, the deceased Civil Engineering student was gambling with his colleague when suddenly the event degenerated into a fight”. Continuing, the Vice Chancellor said he could not tell the point of disagreement between the two gamblers but quickly added that “the fight sadly degenerated to a fatal end”.
Answering another question, Professor Njoku identified the name of the late student’s assailant as Emmanuel Douglas from Rivers State, stressing that “reports have it that the boy is on the run”. According to the FUTO boss, Imo State Police Command has spread its dragnet nationwide in their determined effort to arrest the fleeing student. ”The crime is a serious one and both the University’s administration and Imo State Police Command are seeing it as such. Already, the police has spread its dragnet nationwide, with a view to arresting the fleeing student”, Njoku said. Although he said that the institution’s management does not really disturb itself with what students do outside the University campus, Professor Njoku however explained that this would not amount to shelving its responsibilities to the students and their parents.
”I have always believed that parents and guardians have a lot of job to do in the training of their children and wards. If they do what they are supposed to do, the issue of cultism, arson, rape, examination malpractices and other societal ills would be completely eliminated not only on our campuses but also in the larger Nigerian society”, the University administrator said. According to the VC, the institution has summarily expelled no fewer than 93 students for varying offences, including secret cult activities and examination malpractices.
"The University administration has been constrained to investigate, where there is proper documentation, various acts of indiscipline, dishonesty and fraud among staff and students.
You are aware of cases where staff had to lose their jobs over various acts of indiscipline. In like manner, about 93 students have been dismissed for various acts of misconduct and indiscipline. There should be no sacred cows”, the VC insisted. He said that his administration was aware that some of these disciplinary measures have generated ill-feelings among those affected, adding that “we remain committed to imposing discipline where they are absolutely necessary”.
