Panic gripped students and staff of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rivers State, on Monday after gunshots were heard within the institution, sending members of the university community scrambling for safety.
The incident occurred during the ongoing Students’ Union Government Week celebration, with reports of sporadic gunfire triggering fears among students on campus.
Unverified reports had claimed that the shooting resulted from a clash between rival cult groups, identified as the Vikings and Black Axe confraternities.
The reports alleged that the gunshots continued for more than 20 minutes, heightening tension within the university.
However, the Students’ Union Government President, Alex Onu, dismissed the claim that rival cult groups engaged in a gun battle on the campus.
Onu confirmed that personnel of the Rivers State Police Command fired shots after some unidentified persons reportedly gained access to the university premises during the SUG Week activities.
According to him, the individuals were believed to have been attracted to the institution because of the ongoing celebration.
He explained that the unidentified persons did not engage the police in a confrontation, adding that they fled the premises after officers fired shots into the air to disperse them.
A video circulating online showed what appeared to be groups of people running away from the university premises following the incident.
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The SUG president urged students to remain calm, maintaining that the shooting was not linked to a confrontation between cult groups as being speculated.
The incident, however, caused anxiety among members of the university community, with the circumstances surrounding the presence of the unidentified persons and the police response generating concerns among students.
