We’ll find the perpetrators – Okpebholo reacts to killing of UNIBEN part time student

By Jethro Ibileke

Governor Monday Okpebholo has assured that suspected to be cultists who reportedly shot dead an undergraduate of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), identified simply as Alexander and injured two other occupants of the vehicle and a female passerby in an attack on Sunday in Benin will not go unpunished.

This is even as the UNIBEN management dissociated its staff and students from the incident.

The attack reportedly happened in the evening at about pm, in front of the main campus gate of the University, along the Benin-Lagos Road, Ugbowo, Benin.

The deceased said to be a part time student of the department of Political Science, reportedly finished his exams about an hour earlier when he was shot dead.

His assailants reportedly intercepted his Mercedes Benz SUV, with registration number AAA 601 HT, while he was driving out of the University campus with two other occupants.

It was gathered that the gunmen immediately opened fire on the victim’s vehicle, targeting the driver side, before zooming off, leaving him in the pool of his blood.

The three other occupants who sustained injuries during the attack, were said to have been rushed to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), where they are currently receiving treatment.

The Spokesperson of the Edo State Police Command, Eno Ikoedem, who confirmed the incident, said one person died while three others sustained injury in the shooting incident.

According to her, the gunmen opened fire on the vehicle coming out of the school at a close range, injuring the three occupants of the vehicle and a female passerby whose identity is yet to be ascertained.

UNIBEN’s Spokesperson, Benedicta Ehanire, in a statement on Monday, said preliminary reports indicate that the incident is a fallout of cult activities outside the campus and does not involve any university staff or student.

The statement while expressing regrets over the loss of life, urged members of the University community to remain vigilant and to go about their academic activities on campus peacefully.

Governor Okpebholos condemned the incident in the strongest terms, describing it as an affront to human dignity, a threat to public safety, and an attack on everything his administration stands for.

He assured the public and the family of the victim that the case will not be swept under the rug. The perpetrators will be found and justice will be served.

He also reiterated his administration’s firm resolve to stamp out cultism in all its forms across Edo State. Since assuming office, his administration has taken deliberate and sustained steps to confront the cult menace head-on.

The Governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Patrick Ebojele, assured the public and the family of the victim that the case will not be swept under the rug, adding that the perpetrators will be found and justice will be served.

He extended his heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and associates of the deceased, whose life was violently and senselessly cut short.

The Edo State Police Command has commenced investigations into the incident, while security agencies are working round the clock to identify and apprehend all those responsible.