The Rivers State Police Command, has arrested three students of the University of Port Harcourt after an altercation between two groups within the same cult was reported to have taken place there.
According to reports, on Thursday, there was a power struggle among the factions of the Vikings cult over who would lead the ship, which led to the altercation disrupting the peace of the institution with Gunshots and the display of machetes
One of the students suffered machete cuts during the ensuing violence and had to be taken to the hospital to receive medical attention.
The State Police Command spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko confirmed the arrest when contacted, stating that “those arrested are being profiled and investigation is ongoing.”
The president of UNIPORT’s Students Union Government, Martins Azirindu, verified the ugly incident and called on relevant authorities to look into the matter.
Azirindu stated, “A particular cult group known as the Vikings Confraternity has two factions. And a particular faction came against the other faction.
“But while they were still facing each other the school security, policemen, and the Vice Chancellor came around. So most of them fled and about three were apprehended.”
According to Azirindu, the SUG, and the institution’s administration frequently host events to educate students about the risks associated with joining cults groups.
While advocating for more security patrols within the campus, he pointed out that some parts are still bushy and that these areas need to be cleared so that they don’t become safe spaces for criminal activity.
” I guess that those guys may have passed behind the fence to bring in guns that were used. I will advise the school security to go on routine checks and patrol to put some of these things in check.”
Contrary to several media reports, the institution’s management stated in a statement on Friday that no casualties were reported in the altercation.
The University’s spokesperson, Dr. Sam Kpenu, said in a statement released on Friday that the school administration and security agencies’ action stopped the situation from getting worse, which supports the SUG’s position.
The statement read,” Contrary to some inaccurate media claims, no student was killed nor injured in the incident of a fight between some students as the prompt intervention of the Management, security unit, and the anti-cultism unit of the Nigeria Police led to the swift apprehension of these individuals, ensuring that no disruption occurred.
“The students are currently facing interrogations at the headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force in Port Harcourt.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Owunari Georgewill, arrived the scene on getting the news, supervised the issue’s resolution, and took the required steps to bring things back to normal.
“For the avoidance of doubt, nobody died in that incident, which has been blown out of proportion by some online blogs.
“The University of Port Harcourt remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and safeguarding our students.
“We reiterate our zero-tolerance policy towards cultism, bullying, and any form of disruptive social behaviour on our campus.
“We appreciate the continued support of our community and media partners as we strive to uphold a safe and conducive learning environment for all our students.
“The university is calm and staff and students are going about their normal duties and classes respectively,” the VC had said.