No fewer than eight (8) students were arrested on Friday, while four others got injured when police operatives intervened to prevent a bloody cult clash between students of two secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State.
An eyewitness, Ufot Bassey told LEADERSHIP that the clash involved students of Ewet Technical College (ETC), Nwaniba Road, and the nearby Christian Secondary School (CSS), Ibiono Street in Uyo metropolis.
The anonymous source said the averted clash was an attempted reprisal by aggrieved students of ETC, following an earlier attack by the boys from CSS.
He recalled that the incident happened immediately after school hours at about 2pm when the leaders of each cult group led their members to the Traffic Light portion of the Uyo – Oron Road for the fight which would have escalated, but for the timely intervention of the Police.
Operatives fired canisters of teargas to disperse the feuding students, who were armed with dangerous weapons including bottles, knives, stones, clubs, among others.
Four students were reportedly injured while five others suffocated and slumped from the tear gas.
However, a quick response by the state Commissioner for Education, Dr. Ubong Umoh who was accompanied by emergency medical personnel from the Akwa Ibom State Emergency Management Services and Ambulance Service (AKISEMSAS), helped to revive the students at the hospital.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Akwa Ibom Command, DSP Timfon John, who confirmed the incident, said eight students were arrested, while four others who sustained varying degrees of injury had been treated and discharged.
She assured that investigation was ongoing to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the fracas.
“There was a clash between the two schools, four suspects were wounded as a result of the clash, and were taken to hospital, treated and discharged.
“However, eight suspects who were arrested have been released to their parents on bail. Investigation is ongoing,” the PPRO said.
