The Edo State Police Command and the University of Benin have reacted to the killing of a final year student of the school, Obukobo Oghenerukhewe, popularly known as Mayor, by gunmen on Sunday.
The spokesman of the Command, Chidi Nwabuzor, and the school’s image maker spoke on the incident on Tuesday.
Nwabuzor said the killing of Oghenerukhewe, who was also the Chief of the Kegites Club in the university, was cult-related.
The Police Public Relations Officer said he was a member of Maphites secret cult group and was killed by members of the Black Axe, popularly called Aye.
Nwabuzor said: “The DPO Ugbowo reported that he got a phone call from the CSO of the university about the incident and when they got to a room in Hall 3, they saw his lifeless body and some items such as voter’s card, a school ID card with him.
“Preliminary investigation showed that the victim was a member of Mahpites while the killers were members of Black Axe, Aye.
“The DPO will transfer the case to the SCID to continue the investigation.”
The school’s Public Relations Officer, Benedicta Ehnaire, said the “gruesome shooting occurred in one of the Halls of Residence and was carried out by a yet-to-be-identified gunman.
“While commiserating with the family and colleagues of the late student, management enjoins other students to be calm as the police as well as other security agencies are working hard to fish out and arrest the culprit.
“Management is also working closely with the internal security units in ensuring that such a dastardly incident does not occur again within the university’s premises.”
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