University students killed in cult attack

More than a dozen students were killed when an armed group, believed to be members of a student cult, attacked a rival group at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in the southeastern Enugu State, university staff said.

The armed group were said to have invaded the university’s engineering faculty on Saturday in three stolen cars and opened fire on students writing examinations. Several people died on the spot.

"I can confirm that at least 12 people were killed on the spot," Val Ekechukwu, an engineering lecturer at the university told IRIN on Thursday. "Some of those rushed to hospital with critical injuries have also been reported dead," he added.

The Enugu police commissioner, Nwachukwu Egbochukwu, told reporters on Wednesday that he could not confirm the number of people killed as the full report on the incident was still awaited. But he confirmed the arrest of two people involved in the attack and said the university had been shut down to prevent further escalation of violence.

"We are looking at a conflict between two cult groups, but the picture is still hazy," Egbochukwu said. "The two people arrested are students of the university and will appear in court soon."

Nigerian universities have been plagued by violence between rival student cult groups since the mid-1970s. But the trend grew worse starting in the 1980s, with allegations by student union leaders that the fraternities had been infiltrated by the country’s military rulers who used them to neutralise militant student opposition.

Similar attacks have been recorded across universities in different parts of the country. Apart from attacks directed against rival cult groups in turf wars, student union officials campaigning against cult activities are often the targets. In March the president of the student union at the Lagos State University was shot and killed by assailants believed to members of a student cult.