Police have confirmed the arrest of four students of University of Lagos (UNILAG) for allegedly acting suspiciously at the graveside of a colleague, Eniola Jacobs, who died from an intake of a lethal pest-control chemical widely known as “Sniper.”
Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Police Command, Mr. Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed the arrest this morning, said the students acted “suspiciously.”
The arrested persons, identified as Adeboye Timothy, Aramowo Stephen, Awe-Obe Raphael and Iwerima Jacob are said to be members, along with the deceased, of the Cherubim and Seraphim campus fellowship.
“We arrested the students at the graveside when they insisted they wanted to exhume the corpse for resurrection,” Mr. Adejobi said.
The PPRO said the action was unacceptable to the parents and also appeared strange to the police. He confirmed that the students arrested are being detained at the Criminal Investigations Department of the Eleweran Division in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Jacobs died Sunday morning at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) while being treated for toxin intake.
Colleagues of the deceased, who were at the scene of the incident, told SaharaReporters that a bottle of Pepsi and a container bearing the chemical were found in his bag shortly after the incident, which took place at the library of the Faculty of Education.
“His screams were coming from the Education Library. He got assistance and was taken to the Alpha Base from where he was moved to the hospital,” a classmate said.
The deceased was said to have shouted: “sniper…sniper..!” while hurrying out of the library and calling for help.
Two accounts have emerged on the cause of the deceased’s action. One has it that cult members forced him to take the sniper while his colleagues said he could have taken the action out of acute depression.
“He missed the opportunity to register his courses during his first year and had been worried about it at some point,” a member of his department told SaharaReporters.
According to his friends, Mr. Jacobs, a 300-level student of microbiology, was doing well in his studies despite the problem he had in his first year.
“I think he was already getting over it,” another colleague said. The colleague also disclosed that the Course Adviser of the deceased, Dr. Nze, had advised him to ensure that he kept getting good grades while working on the courses he missed during his first year.
The Lagos State Police Command has already begun an investigation into the allegation that he was forced by some cult members to take the toxic substance.