The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed that no life was lost following a reported security incident at the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, on Monday.
The Command’s spokesperson, ASP Blessing Agabe, said operatives of the Rumuolumeni Police Division responded swiftly after reports of gunshots on the university premises and brought the situation under control.
Agabe added that an investigation had been launched to identify and apprehend those responsible for the incident.
The development followed the circulation of a viral video showing students running in different directions after gunshots were reportedly heard within the institution.
Initial reports had claimed that two suspected cult groups engaged in a gun battle for about 20 minutes in an alleged supremacy fight.
However, the Students’ Union Government (SUG) President of IAUE, Comrade Alex Onu, has disputed the reports, describing them as misleading and exaggerated.
Onu said the incident did not involve a clash between cult groups, explaining that the only gunshot heard on the premises was fired by police officers into the air to disperse some unknown persons who had entered the university during the ongoing SUG Week celebration.
According to him, the individuals did not confront or resist the police and immediately left the premises after the warning shot was fired.
“They didn’t resist the police at all. As soon as the police shot into the air, they left immediately,” Onu said.
The SUG president further denied reports of prolonged gunfire or an exchange of shots between suspected cult groups and security personnel, insisting that the incident did not amount to the cult-related violence portrayed in some reports.
He said students continued participating in various SUG Week activities throughout the day, with the programmes proceeding peacefully until about 7 p.m.
Onu therefore urged journalists and other information disseminators to verify sensitive security reports before publishing them, warning that exaggerated accounts could create unnecessary panic among students, parents, staff and the wider public.
He commended the university management for its commitment to strengthening security within the institution and assured students that the SUG would continue to work with the management and relevant security agencies to maintain peace on campus
