31st August, 2023
By Jethro Ibileke
A final year student of Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State, Miss Ibrahim Asmat Happy, and one other person said to be a ticket seller for commercial motorcyclists have been shot dead by yet to be identified gunmen.
It was gathered that the student and the ticket seller were killed on Thursday afternoon, 30 August, 2023, outside Area II of Auchi Polytechnic.
It was gathered that the student was of the Public Administration Department of the Federal institution.
A statement from the office of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of the Polytechnic confirmed the incident.
The statement indicated that the student was not the intended target of the gunmen, but the ticket seller.
“The final year student identified as ‘Ibrahim Asmat Happy’ from the Department of Public Administration, Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, tragically lost her life due to the unfortunate incident involving unidentified gunmen.
“It was gathered that Asmat was not the intended target by the gunmen but the Bikers Ticket Issuer. She was only at the scene to pay a motorcycle rider who [transported] her to the scene with the five hundred naira note which was later found in her dead hand.
“The heinous incident has also been wrongly tied to the media swag publicity from the department of Mass Communication students which was held yesterday across the Polytechnic, but an exclusive interview with some of the event’s committees and the witnesses of the publicity revealed that it has no connection with what happened yesterday, that it was a coincidence where the people who went for the publicity were even running for their dear lives.
“Although rumour has it that the perpetrators of the evil act have been apprehended, the information is yet to be corroborated.”
The Edo State Police Command Spokesman, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, who confirmed the incident to our correspondent in a telephone conversation, however said they were yet to get a clear picture of the incident.
“We are yet to get a clear picture of the incident from the Auchi Divisional Police Officer. When that is done, we will come up with a statement,” Nwabuzor said.