January 16, (THEWILL) – A fresh graduate of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, awaiting National Youth Services Scheme (NYSC) mobilisation, has been reportedly killed by yet-to-be-identified gunmen in Ikot Ekpene.
THEWILL gathered that the victim, simply identified as Prince, was a Higher National Diploma (HND) student of Computer Science and was shot in front of his girlfriend in his room at about 1:00 am, along Abuja Street, on Wednesday.
An eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, said the gunmen, who invaded the compound, moved straight to the room of the victim, shot him in the abdomen and escaped, leaving him in a pool of his blood.
She said the girlfriend raised the alarm, which made neighbours come out, and he was rushed to a hospital for medical intervention, where he died eventually.
“The gunmen didn’t steal anything from the house. They did not even rob anybody in the compound. They just shot him and escaped.
“I met the victim yesterday at about 4 PM with his girlfriend. Both of them wore Facemasks. Jovially, I asked them why they were dressing in that manner. We all laughed.
“The victim was very popular in the neighbourhood and a strong member of the choral group in his church. We are shocked the way they killed him”, he stated
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Akwa Ibom, DSP Timfon John, said there was robbery and cult operations in the area, and the victim’s compound was robbed while the students were shot dead.
“Information at our disposal is that there were robbery and cult operations in the area.
“They invaded and robbed the area and somebody was shot, who was later identified as a student.”
She noted that an investigation is ongoing to unravel the cause of the attack on the deceased student.
