Two Otuoke varsity students mysterious killed, dumped in Bayelsa

Students of Federal University of Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State now worried over their safety, as two students have been gruesomely killed by yet-to-identified persons who specialise in dumping the corpses in public places within the university community.

It was learnt that one of the victims, identified as Edwin Tochi-Eze popularly known as Tochiba, was a 100 level student of the Mathematics Education department who recently won the Mr Education Contest for male category.

According to community sources, Tochi-Eze was found dead on Tuesday morning along a street close to his hostel of residence with multiple machetes’ cuts all over his body, which has raised suspicion amongst student that his death may be cult-related.

It was further learnt that the second victim, simply identified as Ejekwu Lloyd popularly known as Chimzi, was found dead in a bush in the university campus with a gunshot wound to the chest.

TribuneOnline gathered that a close friend to Tochi known as Sammy Majestic had on Monday declared missing before his lifeless body was eventually found the next day.

Speaking with TribuneOnline via telephone, Majestic said: “We were together yesterday (Sunday) evening joking and playing as we usually do before he left the house and did not come back.

“I and other friends of his were very worried and have contacted his friends and family. We even called his phone but it was switched off. Not until his corpse was later discovered close to his residence on Tuesday.”

Some security sources expressed suspicion that the mystery killings may be due to a silent cult war going on in the area, saying the case has however been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department of the State Police Command in Yenagoa, the state capital.

When contacted, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Seth Accra Jaja informed our correspondent through a text message that he was in Abuja on official duty, directing that the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the institution be contacted but several attempts to contact him proved abortive at the time of filing this report.

TribuneOnline, however, gathered that the institution’s authority led by the Vice-Chancellor had on Tuesday held an emergency meeting with the Student Union Government (SUG), various faculty and departmental executives and the leadership of the Otuoke community over the recent issue of insecurity in the community.

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According to a source that attended the meeting presided over by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Bio Nyananyo, issues bothering on various forms of criminal activities within the community were raised and that quick steps are being taken to curb the menace.

“Having heard the views and opinion of various leaders, the institution made it clear that the issue of insecurity will be dealt with adequately by engaging various security apparatus such as forming an alliance with the host community to checkmate the activities of crimes.

“We should note that security is every man’s business and as such we must be very vigilant and report incidents of crimes to the appropriate authorities. The school management has also provided a platform in which we can dispatch information as regards to suspected cases within our neighbourhood, the source added.

A student of the institution who logged on to the FUO Campus gist page on Facebook wrote: “I am tired of typing RIP. Tired of hearing it didn’t happen in Campus and tired of the fact that there are no hostels in FUO. I’m fed up with the fact that 95% of students live off-campus yet security system is not present and our management seems not to care.

“I am angered by the fact that only three properties in the entire Otuoke have top-notch security provided by the military because they belong to You Know Who. To the rest of us, OYO (On Your Own) is our case. I feel pain, I feel pain, I feel sorrow and sadness, anger and anguish I feel…”

Another student on the same Facebook page also wrote: “The only buildings that are secured is the only fortress in Otuoke, home of former President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, his wife’s hotel directly opposite the university and another unoccupied building somewhere along Olumba road.

“At each of these structures is a fortified military checkpoint. These security apparatus only safeguard these aforementioned places and even if there’s trouble close by, they don’t care.

“This month alone, we’ve witnessed a series of death of students of FUO, no security, not even a police station in the entire community hosting a Federal institution. None is even nearby.

“From incessant kidnappings of staff and students to the maiming and killing of students in successions, no arrest has been made. I will tell you later. It is a sad tale.

“There is pandemonium in Otuoke right now because of the fracas between students and the CSO of former president GEJ during a randy movement by students over the corpse of another student that got missing on Monday and was found dead today.

“As usual, after live ammunition was fired by the military, the story was twisted that students (who were harmless and armless and in the company of the SUG president), opened fire at the military personnel.”