A student of the Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH), Cross River State, was shot dead on Thursday afternoon by suspected cultists, the police spokesperson in the state, Irene Ugbo, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES.

The victim, identified as a final year student in the faculty of education, was said to have been shot around 3 p.m. near the students’ union building on campus.

The police attributed the killing to the rivalry between two cult groups in the university.

No arrest has been made yet, police said.

Some local newspapers have published gory photos of the slain student in a pool of blood.

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One newspaper, Paradise News, said the student was savagely cut “beyond recognition” after he was shot dead by his attackers.

The paper, quoting some witnesses, said some students at first mistook the sound from the gunshots to be from fireworks because of a carnival that was set to commence on campus.

The students scampered for safety when they realised it was a cult attack. The school security officials later drove to the scene of the incident, after the attackers had already fled.

“We are no longer safe in the school,” the paper quoted a student to have said.

“The security agencies should do something. The school management and the government should put tight security measures to safeguard us. It’s becoming worse as each day passes by,” the student said.

CRUTECH and another school in the once peaceful city, University of Calabar, have witnessed a surge in violent cult clashes of late.

Violent cult clashes involving students of tertiary institutions have also been reported in other states like Akwa Ibom, Lagos and Ogun.