Update On UNIPORT Protest: School Shut Down As Two Die

What started as noise has led to the untimely death of two students of the University of Port Harcourt who were feared killed during a protest over an alleged policy by the management of the institution that school fees must be paid before they would be allowed to take their first semester examinations.

One of the students, Peter Ofurun, who was hit by a bullet from a policeman, died instantly.

A female student, also hit by a bullet was rushed to the hospital, but sources said she died on the way.


The UNIPORT students’ protest had halted academic and administrative activities in the institution as they demanded the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sunday Lale, should address them and reverse the policy.

The late Ofurun was a student in the Faculty of Management Science before he met his untimely death. His corpse was later taken to the African Independent Television station in Port Harcourt.

It was alleged that the two students were hit by bullets when policemen opened fire to disperse the protesting students from the busy East-West road they had occupied for hours.

However, the state Police Public Officer, Mr. Ahmad Muhammad, told Punch that no life was lost.

“No reported case of loss of life throughout the students’ protest. What the police did was just the discharge of their mandate of restoring normalcy and orderliness in the university,” Muhammad said.