Authorities of the Federal Polytechnic Oko, Anambra state has debunked alleged involvement of her students in cult related activities.
The media had report the death of two students of the institution during a recent shooting spree between two rivalry cult groups in the area.
But in a statement issued by the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Obini Onuchukwu described the report as false, saying the institution was never consulted for clarification or confirmation of the report, as the rule of objective journalism demands.
The statement partly read, “The attention of the Management of Federal Polytechnic Oko has been drawn to indiscriminate publications on the involvement of our students in cult related violence.
“For the records, we wish to state clearly that students of the institution were not involved in the ongoing cult clashes that happened recently in the community.
“More worrisome was that the institution was never consulted for clarification or confirmation of the report, as the rule of objective journalism demands.
“Such a false information is capable of portraying the institution in bad light, create fear in the minds of students and staff, and further ridicule the laudable efforts of the Polytechnic Management to weed out cultists from the institution.
“The clashes which allegedly led to some killings happened among cult groups in the host community and its environs have no connection with the students of the Polytechnic.
“Our students are not in the school because of the shutdown of schools as directed by the Federal Government to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. It is indeed spurious to claim that students were killed at a time when their hostels were empty, and the College activities grounded, except for skeletal services provided by some staff on essential duty.
“It is obvious that the Management has through eagle-eyed security system reduced cultism to zero level for the past 10 years. There is no possible way for cultists to creep back into the institution to wreak havoc when some strict measures have been devised to wipe out their nefarious and nocturnal activities in the Polytechnic.
“The Management pleads with all relevant security agencies to fish out the masterminds of the recent bloody incident, as a matter of urgency, before the resumption of school.
“It will not be good if our students return and meet this precarious situation on ground. They are young people and may be cut in crossfire by these cult groups.
“The Polytechnic is ready to collaborate with the relevant security agencies to ensure that no student of our institution is attacked or harassed by criminal elements within the locality. So all hands must be on deck to arrest this local cult violence and street terrorising gangs.”
