Authorities of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Anambra State University (ANSU) yesterday denied that suspects Chidera Ezekiel and Okwuoma Nwabufor in the Facebook murder of Miss Cynthia Osokogu, are their students.
The development came as a neighbour of the only daughter of Major Gen. Frank Osokogu (rtd) in Keffi, Nasarawa State, said the late Cynthia was friendly.
She was killed at a FESTAC hotel in Lagos on July 22 this year after she was lured into Lagos for a phantom business deal by two of her Facebook friends and suspects, Ezekiel and Nwabufor.
She was allegedly drugged and strangled.
Cynthia ran a clothing business named: Dress Code Collection in Keffi.
It was when the suspects were paraded in Lagos on Wednesday that they claimed to be students of the two higher institutions.
But from UNILAG yesterday, the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Rahaman Bello, called Daily Sun to disclaim the studentship of Nwabufor.
“We checked our list and I can confirm that he (Nwabufor) is not our student. We are preparing a statement to that effect,” Prof. Bello said on phone.
Our reporter who visited the Igbariam Campus where Ezekiel claimed he was a final year student in the Department of Accountancy, gathered that the suspect’s name is not on the list.
All efforts made by our reporter, who was assisted by some staff of the Department of Accountancy, to find the name of Chidera Ezekiel of 400 level were futile as his name was not among the list of 134 regular students and 166 part-time students.
However, further investigations revealed that the suspect is actually a student, but the reason why his name was missing from the list of students could not be ascertained by press time.
Some of Ezekiel’s course mates actually confirmed he is a students but was not a serious one.
One of the suspect’s supposed course mate, simply identified as Anselm, said Ezekiel was in his class, adding that “he had never been a serious student.”
Anselm, who identified the suspect through a photograph, said that “Ezekiel lived in Awka and attended lectures any time and any day he liked.
“This is Chidera. What happened? Who are you because this is somebody’s profile you are probing into like this? I mean, is anything the matter? He is in my class though he has not been a serious student. The much I know about him is that he lives in Awka and attends lectures anytime and any day he liked. I don’t think he has attended lectures more than two times this year.”
The course representative in the Accountancy Department, who also doubles as the traditional ruler of the university, simply called Val, confirmed he used to see such a face, but could not give full information about the suspect.
A female senior lecturer in the Accountancy Department, who did not want her name in print, said: “We see a lot of faces, so it will be difficult to say I know him. But wait o, if you see him, let me know so that I will know how to handle them because I don’t know that some of these children can have such heart.”
She, however, said that she had not seen or marked any script with the name Chidera Ezekiel in the department since 2008 when his course mates matriculated and who are in their final year.
All efforts made to speak with the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Fidelis Okafor, and Head of Department (HOD), Accountancy, Dr. Innocent Nwogu, better known as Parry among the students, proved abortive as his phones were not answered while the latter was said to be hosting an international conference for the department.
The school’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Emma Anakwue, dismissed the claim by the suspect that he is a student of ANSU.
Anakwue said, “Such a person could not have been our student because ANSU is deeply rooted in discipline and our students cannot be criminals. Just as you found out from the department, the said name does not exist in our lists and can never exist.
“Anybody can answer student of any university. A murderer cannot come from our school and as such, cannot use or drag the good image of the school to the mud. We produce students that are well trained and well-behaved. He should face trial for any crime he committed and he is not our student.”
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