The University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) has dismissed a viral social media video purporting to show a stabbing incident at the institution, assuring students, staff, parents and the general public that the university remains peaceful, secure and fully operational.
The video, which shows a young man drenched in blood, was circulated with the caption, “One man down again inside CRUTECH,” with claims suggesting that the victim died following an alleged stabbing incident within the university environment.
In a statement, the university said it considered the need to clarify the report because the former Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH), which the caption referenced, is no longer in existence as an institution, while UNICROSS is its successor. It noted that associating the video with CRUTECH could therefore create a misleading impression that the incident occurred within UNICROSS.
The university stated categorically that the incident depicted in the video did not occur on any of its campuses, adding that there was no record of any corresponding violent incident anywhere within the university environment.
According to the institution, the caption attached to the video was misleading and should not be interpreted as an accurate representation of events at UNICROSS.
Giving further assurance of the safety of the university community, the Chief Security Officer, Mr. Iwara Ibiang, a retired Superintendent of Police, said security arrangements across the institution had been significantly reinforced.
Ibiang disclosed that three additional police patrol teams had been deployed within the university, while the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Akim Area Command had also been making routine security visits to the campus as part of efforts to sustain a secure environment.
He explained that immediately after the video began circulating, he proceeded to the campus with the police to personally verify the situation. The security team conducted a thorough search of the university environment and contacted relevant community stakeholders, including clan heads and youth leaders in neighbouring communities, as well as the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration) and the Dean of Student Affairs.
The Chief Security Officer said none of the enquiries produced any report or discovery corresponding to the incident depicted in the viral video.
He further disclosed that subsequent enquiries indicated that the incident reportedly occurred in a community within a Local Government Area outside Calabar, and not within or around the university environment.
Against this backdrop, UNICROSS urged members of its community, parents, students, staff and the general public to disregard the misleading caption attached to the video and refrain from circulating it as though it were an incident that occurred at the university.
The institution also advised students and staff to continue with their normal academic, administrative and other legitimate activities without fear, assuring that security personnel remained fully deployed to protect lives and property across the campuses.
UNICROSS, however, warned individuals who deliberately attach false captions to videos or circulate misinformation capable of causing panic, misleading the public or damaging the reputation of the institution to desist from such acts.
The university said it would not hesitate to support appropriate lawful action against anyone identified as deliberately creating or spreading false information concerning the institution, while reaffirming its commitment to maintaining a safe, peaceful and conducive environment for teaching, learning, research and other academic activities.
