Ebonyi varsity student killed after ‘confronting armed robbers’

Chinedu Linus, a student of Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Abakaliki, has been killed by armed robbers.

Loveth Odah, spokesman of the state police command, confirmed the incident to NAN on Saturday.

She said the gunmen killed Linus on Friday after they had robbed him.

The robbers, who were said to be four, reportedly shot the deceased as he confronted them.

Odah said while no arrest has been made, operational units of the command are currently searching for the hoodlums.

“I urge students not to confront robbers or any person bearing arms whenever they are attacked because such a person is no longer normal,” she said.

“It is only a living person that makes use of valuables as no amount of valuables in ones’ possession can equate to life.

“Our officers responded swiftly to the distress call by the students, but there was no road leading to the hostel where the incident occurred…[they] had to park their patrol vehicle on the main road and walk to the hostel where the corpse of the deceased was.”

She appealed to the relevant agencies to construct access roads to students’ hostels for easy rescue operations.

A source told NAN the hoodlums broke into the student’s hostel in the middle of the night.

The source, who asked not to be named, said: “They invaded the deceased’s hostel, about 1:30am during a downpour after gaining entry with a ladder which they used to climb the building’s fence.

“We heard loud knocks on our gate and Chinedu who is the students’ leader at the hostel, brandished a rod to ascertain the person knocking at the gate.

“The robbers grabbed him and started asking where he kept the money as we suddenly heard gunshots.

“They entered my room, robbed me of N15,000 and two cell phones and robbed the entire occupants of the hostel; they took the money we contributed for electricity bills.

“We later learnt that they attacked our neigbouring building, but it seems Linus was the only occupant who unfortunately confronted them.”

Linus’ body has since been deposited at the mortuary of Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki.