BREAKING NEWS: Rival gangs clash in Igbinedion University, students send out distress messages

Reports reaching us say unknown men have invaded Igbinedion University, Okada, this morning and are engaging students, believed to be cultists, in a fight.

An Abuja-based parent, who first informed us of the development, quoted his daughter as saying the invaders had chased away the university’s security officials.

The students, he said, are panicking and sending out distress calls to their parents.

“No help has gone to the students,” our source said. “The sheriffs (private security) have taken to their heels and the police are nowhere in sight. Students are running helter skelter and their life is in danger.”

Another parent confirmed the development, saying he was shocked that a private university such as Igbinedion has cultists among its student population.

The university authorities and the police could not be reached at this point as they did not answer or return calls.

A source in the university however explained that rather than invaders, the clash was trigerred by some Niger Delta militants who who were admitted into the university during the amnesty programme. 

“The militants have their own camps and hostel, and they are the one fomenting trouble on campus.”

He said the gate of the university had been barricaded.

The private university, founded by billionaire businessman, Gabriel Igbinedion, was in the news recently why four final year medical students were kidnapped by unknown men.