Delta students protest killing of 500-level undergraduate

Students in Delta State on Monday, August 16, 2020, temporarily crippled socio-economic activities in Asaba during a protest against the alleged killing of a 500-level student of Electrical Engineering, University of Port Harcourt, Nzete Patrick.

Patrick was said to be returning from church on Sunday when he was hit by a stray bullet during a communal clash in Ogume town, Ndokwa West Local Government Area of Delta State.

The students, who took to the streets of the state capital, demanded that those behind the act be brought to book.

The protest was led by leaders of various student bodies, including the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) and National Association of Delta State Students (NADESSTU).

Clad in black attires and armed with placards with different inscriptions, the protesting students said they were also peeved by reports that the deceased was a criminal.

Addressing journalists after registering their grievances at the State Government House, the President of NADESSTU, Mr Godwin Saturday, lamented that the late Nzete would have graduated this year but for the COVID-19 pandemic.

He called on the authorities to fish out his killers and put measures in place to address the communal crisis in Ogume town.

Also, the Senate President of NADESSTU, Mr Odogwu Ugochi, said the news of Nzete’s killing was shocking, insisting that the deceased was a peace-loving youth whom he (Ugochi) worked with.

The Director of Special Duties of NANS, Zone B, Chika Ossai who hails from Ogume, said the death was a personal loss.

“The state governor has many aides on conflict resolutions, yet communal clashes remain a constant feature in the state,” he added.