The Imo State Police Command had arrested a 21-year-old student of the Imo State University, Francis Marvellous, for allegedly stabbing to death a final-year student of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri.
According to a statement issued in Owerri, the state capital on Friday, by the command’s spokesperson, Henry Okoye, the victim, Marvellous Kingsley, was killed on Thursday night on campus following an altercation with the suspect.
Okoye said that the IMSU undergraduate was arrested by the men of the command following a distress call.
The suspect was said to have confessed to the crime, admitting that he stabbed the victim with a knife during a heated argument with members of the university’s Man O’ War unit.
The body of the victim was said to have been recovered and taken to Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, where he was confirmed dead and deposited at a mortuary.
The PPRO, who revealed that the suspect would be arraigned after the investigation process by the command, however, dismissed the speculation making the rounds that the FUTO undergraduate was stabbed to death by a herdsman.
The statement read, “Operatives of the Imo State Police Command have arrested an alleged 300-level student of Imo State University, Owerri, named Francis Marvellous ‘m’, 21years, who hails from Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State for allegedly stabbing to death Chinagorom Marvellous Kingsley ‘m’, 22yrs, who is a final year student of the Federal University of Technology Owerri and a member the university’s Man O’ War unit.
“The arrest was a sequel to a swift response to a distress call received from the Chief Security Officer of FUTO, retired DSP Patrick Egwu, by police operatives on convoy patrol who promptly arrested the suspect who was almost lynched at the scene by an angry mob. The body of the victim was recovered and rushed to Federal Medical Center, Owerri where he was confirmed dead and deposited at the mortuary.
“On interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime, admitting that he had a heated argument with members of the university’s Man O’ War unit during which he brought out a knife he neatly concealed in his trousers and stabbed the victim to death.
“He mentioned three others who were with him during the fight. They include his brother Francis Promise, Prince and a man popularly known as Soji.”
On the speculation that the FUTO student was killed by a herdsman, Okoye added, “The Command, therefore, is using this medium to dispel the false narratives making the rounds on social media that the victim was stabbed to death by a Hausa Fulani/northern, warning that the misinformation is the handiwork of mischief makers who want to provoke unnecessary intertribal conflict between the good people of Imo State and the northerners residing in the State.
However, our correspondent gathered that another student, whose identity had yet to be ascertained, died in the incident.
A FUTO student who didn’t want to be mentioned, said, “Policemen came and were throwing teargas canisters and students started running and jumping down from their hostels. Unfortunately, an asthmatic student died.
“Another student broke her leg and was rushed to Federal Medical Centre in Owerri. Others also sustained injuries. As I speak with you, the students are not happy. They want to protest.”
