2 UNIBEN students arrested after their colleague drowned while swimming

The students were nabbed after the bruised corpse of their colleague, Francis Aniude, was recovered from the Ekosodin River in the Ekosodin community, near the Ugbowo campus of UNIBEN.

A student who spoke on the condition of anonymity over fear of victimisation said the suspects invited Aniude for a swim in the river when he allegedly drowned on June 29.

The student added, “After the deceased got drowned, the duo ran back to the Ekosodin community to seek the help of the community and vigilance members but the deceased died before help could come his way.

“The corpse was recovered from the river on July 1 by local divers. The two students were arrested following the discovery of blood on the deceased’s lips and peeled skin around his neck region which raised suspicion amongst family members and relatives who are demanding an autopsy.”

Edo Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, who confirmed the suspects’ arrests, stated that the case was reported at the Ugbowo Police Station, adding that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and his men led a team of local divers to the scene of the incident.

“Luckily enough, they were able to recover the body. The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigations.

“Two persons were arrested because they went together to swim in that river when the ugly incident occurred. Arresting them is very important so that we can know what made them leave their hostel and go to that river at that time and what happened right there in the river,” Nwabuzor said.

The police spokesperson added that investigations were ongoing on the matter.