Benin – The authorities of Igbinedion University, Okada in Edo, said on Monday that a quarrel over a female student by two rival groups sparked Sunday's clash at the institution.
The authorities, however, denied that any student was beheaded.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Eghosa Osaghea, who made the disclosure while speaking with journalists at Okada, confirmed that six students were injured during the fracas.
Osaghae, who said preliminary investigation revealed that a female student was at the centre of the quarrel between the warring groups in the institution, also denied media reports that there were sporadic shootings on campus during the clash.
He said that the state Commissioner of Police, Olayinka Balogun, immediately visited the institution to assess the situation and found that the situation was already under control.
"The fact of the matter is that in the early hours of Sunday, there was a misunderstanding among students following the damage to the vehicle of one of them outside the university campus in Okada town.
"This unfortunately elicited unwarranted reprisal that involved damage to other vehicles by the aggrieved students and friends.
"Both actions ended up in agitation and skirmishes, but thankfully no life was lost.
"We gathered it was a boyfriend and girlfriend issues. It was a retaliatory attack.''
Osaghae said that the injured students had been treated and discharged.
He said that contrary to media reports, those undergoing training at the institution were not ex-militants, but youths from the Niger Delta region sponsored under the Youth Empowerment Programme in the Niger Delta Masterplan.
The vice chancellor said that those referred to as ex-militants were normal students of the institution who were being paid by the Federal Government. (NAN)
