Monarch threaten students with juju priest over security crisis in varsity

A traditional ruler has threatened to invoked native juju known in the area as ‘Mbiam’ to fish out culprits and sanction students with criminal tendencies over Worries by the catalogue of  unresolved cases of rape and cult killings in Akwa Ibom state university

The traditional ruler of Obio Akpa community in the state, Obong Akpan Essien , who decried the new wave of rape and cult-related activities, said it has become necessary to engage traditional means to check the menace in the institution before they will tarnish the image of the host community.

Essien identified activities of cyclist operators known as ‘Okada’ riders, within the university community and undue fraternity between students and unknown visitors as root causes of security lapses.

He expressed fear that the insecurity threatening the institution may soon spread to the host community, which he said, has compelled the village council to convene emergency meeting to review the security situation in the community. The community leader suggested that government should build hostels, provide perimeter fencing and overhaul internal security system of the university.

Earlier, the vice chancellor of the university, Prof. Eno Ibanga, said he decided to engage leaders of the host community to seek ways to stem the tide of insecurity in the school.

Addressing leaders of management staff union at the Obio Akpa campus of the university during a stakeholders meeting, Prof. Ibanga, recalled that there were reports of bags and phones snatching in the school premises before the incident snowballed into killing of a student last week.

Prof Ibanga noted that the security situation in the campus started deteriorating following the construction of internal road network in the institution and other adjoining streets without perimeter fencing to check influx of both students and visitors.

“This is not the best of time for what is happening in this institution. This meeting is convened at the instance of what is happening around us as one of our students was shot dead last week, causing fear, panic and general insecurity on campus.

“I don’t like this kind of situation where a student is shot within the vicinity of the university. We cannot fold our hands and watch this scenario as it creates bad image of both the university and the host community.”

He said the university wrote letter to the police to intimate them of security challenges around the campus so that surveillance would be mounted.