A 200 Level student of the Niger Delta University, Ammasoma, Bayelsa State, James Okunmakpeye, has been shot dead by suspected cult members in what appears to be renewed hostility among rival cult groups in the state.
The deceased, a student of Marketing in the Faculty of Management Science, was shot in the head about 11am on Wednesday right in the presence of his colleagues and lecturer.
The incident caused pandemonium as people scampered for safety.
Okunmakpeye’s killing came two days after another person was gunned down by suspected cultists at Obele, a suburb of the state capital, Yenagoa.
The Public Relations Officer of the institution, Ingezi Idoni, who confirmed the incident, said the school is investigating the incident and has contacted security operatives in the state.
Idoni said: “There was a lecturer in the class during the incident.
“He was shot by the door of the lecture room.
“He was late to the class and was being asked to come into the lecture hall.
“While he was offering reasons for his lateness, someone came from behind and shot him.”
The suspected cultist, after shooting Okunmakpeye, was said to have escaped through a portion of the school’s perimeter fence that has failed.
The public relations officer then appealed to the state government to assist the institution in the completing of the perimeter fencing of the institution to aid proper security of lives and property.
The spokesman of the Bayelsa State Police Command, Astimin Butswat, also confirmed the incident, but said he was waiting for details from the divisional headquarters in Ammassoma.
In another development, the state police command said it had arrested two suspects while trying to ferry one bag of weed suspected to be Indian hemp and 155 rounds of live cartridges to Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
He gave the names of the suspects as Solomon Ibe, 43, and Chris Amuka, 23.
“The Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State Command, Mike Okoli, has enjoined members of the public to continue to assist the police with useful information to curtail crime in the state,” Butswat said in a statement.