8th September, 2023
By Okafor Ofiebor/ Port Harcourt
Rivers State University, RSU, Port Harcourt Students’ Week has ended abruptly and on a tragic note as the management of the institution ordered the immediate suspension of all activities after a student lost his life during the Jeans Carnival.
In an internal memo ordering the suspension of the SUG Week, the registrar of the university, Dr. Sydney Enyindah, announced that other activities marking the students’ week should halt immediately.
According to the memo, “Following the unfortunate and sad incident which occurred during the “Jeans Carnival” on Tuesday 5th September 2023, resulting in the death of a student, the Management of the University has directed the immediate suspension of the remaining activities of the Student Union Week.”
However, eyewitnesses said “The deceased student was sitting on the window side of a moving vehicle during the Jeans Carnival when he lost his balance and fell. He was rushed to the hospital, but he died from his injuries.”
But the parents of the deceased freshman whose identity is yet to be ascertained, are suspecting foul play.
The deceased’s mother, in a video, was seen crying and calling on the authority of the school to carry out a thorough investigation into her son’s death.
It would be recalled that about two weeks ago Rivers State University was in the news for negative reasons. Armed men raided one of the female students’ hotels, stole their properties, physically molested some of them and sexually assaulted a few others.
This led to a mass protest by the female students which led to an unscheduled visit of Governor Siminalayi Fubara to the institution and ordered an investigation into the incident.
Fubara assured that the culprits would be caught and brought to justice. The armed men are yet to be apprehended.