A student of the Benue State Univeristy, BSU, Makurdi, Mr Abel Agaba, who was reported to have drowned in the River Benue was recovered on Friday.

A source said the deceased, who is a 200-level student of the Chemistry Department of the institution, had gone missing after swimming in River Benue.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Agaba, who lived with family members at Awe Street in the Wurukum area of Makurdi town, went to the nearby River Benue after watching a football match at a viewing center at about 11:45 pm.

The management of Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Imo State, has suspended a lecturer, Mr. Okoroafor Ifeanyichukwu, for allegedly beating up a student.

A video making the rounds on social media shows the lecturer approaching the student in the midst of other students, slapping and hitting him, amidst shouts from bystanders.

A letter of suspension from the Polytechnic, signed by the Director of the Technical and Entrepreneurship Development Centre, P.C. Okoye, and titled “Suspension from Duty – Mr Okoroafor Ifeanyichukwu,” stated that the suspension takes immediate effect.

The short letter read: “You are hereby suspended from duty as a facilitator in the Technical and Entrepreneurship Development Centre pending the outcome of an investigation into the incident that occurred yesterday (Thursday, March 13, 2025) at the site of your entrepreneurship training.”

The incident, which has gone viral on social media, has garnered widespread condemnation for the lecturer, especially as the student was already showing remorse for his actions before the lecturer descended on him.

However, it was not immediately clear what the student did to provoke the lecturer’s reaction.

The Imo State Government has commenced the process of recovering lands belonging to public schools across the state, which have been encroached upon by individuals and organizations.

Some of the affected schools include:

– Central School, behind St. Paul’s Douglas
– Primary School, Avu
– Other primary schools across the state where personal building’s have taken over school land.

The government has warned all encroachers to vacate the premises immediately, as failure to comply will result in swift action.

This move is aimed at restoring the original purpose of these public schools and ensuring that they continue to provide quality education to the children of Imo State.

For inquiries or concerns, please contact the Imo State Ministry of Education.

Let’s work together to reclaim our public schools!