Rage Of Cultists

 

By George Opara /Umuahia

On 19 January, Christian Uche Ikwunagu had no reason to suspect that disaster was looming as he made his way to the Abia State University, Uturu, where he worked as a porter. But just before the 26-year-old Industrial Physics graduate got to his duty post on campus, a group of people ambushed and shot him dead. His death brought to four, the number of Uturu indigenes killed so far in and around the university campus by suspected cultists.

 

Angered by his death, irate youths from the community marched into the campus in protest. But they ran into a blockade mounted by students. The ensuing battle left two of the students dead, while many other students and demonstrators sustained serious bullet wounds. The battle also left the university in ruins. Apart from a number of cars and the Students’ Union Government bus, the administrative block, library, Department of Mass Communication and Centre for Entrepreneurial Education were destroyed. The battle also left the Sam Mbakwe, Onyiba Aja Nwachukwu, Nnanna Uzor Kalu and Aguiyi Ironsi halls of residence in ruins. The university has since been closed down.

 

 Investigations conducted by this medium revealed that for a long time, cultists have been terrorising staff and students, beating and dispossessing them of their belongings, especially money and mobile telephone handsets. On some occasions, they have also raped female students. These incidents have resulted in a strained relationship between the university and its host communities, who blame the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mkpa Agu Mkpa, for not being alive to his responsibilities. Mkpa who reported the incident to the police, however, accused the traditional ruler, Eze Uwadiegwu Ogbonnaya, of instigating his subjects against the university community. With both sides trading blames over the cause of the mayhem, tension remains high. The only hope of restoring peace is for the panel of inquiry set up to unravel the remote and immediate causes of the dispute to do a thorough job and submit recommendations that will prevent a reccurrence.

 

 

 

 

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