POLICE DETAIN 2 UNIBEN STUDENTS FOR COLLEAGUE’S DROWNING

Tunji Wusu –

Samson Kennedy, a biochemistry student in the 200 level, and Wilfred Emmanuel, an optometry student in the 500 level, were both students at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), and they were both detained by members of the Nigeria Police Force, Edo State Command.

They were apprehended for reportedly driving Francis Aniude, a 23-year-old Chemistry Department final-year student, to the Ekosodin River, where he drowned.

The two, who are said to have been Aniude’s neighbors, allegedly invited him to the Ekosodin River on June 29, 2023, where he drowned, for sightseeing. After the event, the captives allegedly ran back to the campus to sound the alarm.

Francis drowned in the Ekosodin River, which is near the school and off-campus, on June 29, 2023, and was reported missing; however, on July 1, 2023, local divers in the community found his body. This account comes from a student in the Chemistry Department who does not want his name published.

“Family and relatives have demanded an autopsy due to the suspicions raised by the discovery of blood on his lips and peeled skin around his neck region,” he said.

The two were detained to assist the police in looking into the circumstances surrounding the death, according to SP Chidi Nwabuzor, a spokeswoman for the Edo State Police Command, who confirmed the report.