The Rivers State Police Command and the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Rumuolumeni, have given conflicting accounts of an incident that occurred on the university premises during the ongoing SUG Week celebration on Monday.

While the Police Command described the incident as a clash between two cult groups, the SUG President, Comrade Alex Onu, dismissed the claim, saying there was no cult confrontation or exchange of gunfire on the campus.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the Rivers State Command, ASP Blessing Agabe, said the incident involved “a clash between two cult groups,” adding that police operatives responded promptly and brought the situation under control.

According to Agabe, “No shots were fired by the Police,” as the officers only applied proportionate measures necessary to contain the situation and apprehend those involved.

The command also said no life was lost, adding that members of the groups fled the scene while investigation was ongoing to identify and arrest those involved.

But the SUG President offered a different account, insisting that the only gunshot heard on the university premises was fired by police officers into the air to disperse some unknown persons who had entered the institution during the SUG Week activities.

Onu, who in a statement shortly after the incident, said the persons did not engage the police in any confrontation and left the premises immediately after the shot was fired.

“They didn’t resist the police at all. As soon as the police shot into the air, they left immediately,” he said.

He consequently rejected reports suggesting that suspected cultists engaged in prolonged gunfire on the university premises, describing such accounts as exaggerated and capable of creating unnecessary panic among students, parents and members of the public.

The SUG President said students were still participating in scheduled SUG Week activities until about 7 p.m., questioning how a prolonged cult clash could have occurred on campus without disrupting the programmes.

A lecturer at the institution, who requested anonymity, also disputed the account of a cult clash.

“The venue was just behind my office. There was no shooting between any cult groups; rather, the fierce-looking police officers shot when the atmosphere became highly tense,” the lecturer said.

The conflicting accounts have therefore raised questions about what exactly transpired at the institution and whether the gunshot reportedly heard by members of the university community came from a confrontation between rival groups or was fired by the police to disperse people at the scene.

While the police maintained that no officer fired a shot and that no life was lost, the SUG President and the lecturer maintained that there was no exchange of gunfire between cult groups and that the police reportedly fired the only shot heard.

Onu appealed to newsmen to verify sensitive security reports before publication, warning that sensational accounts could heighten tension within the university community.

The PVarsityCommand said investigation into the incident was ongoing. (The Guardian)

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