Two men have been arrested by the security personnel of the University of Calabar for snatching a phone worth N88,000 from a 100-level Computer Science student of the institution, Godwin Okoro.
The suspects, identified as Kingsley Mathias, 22, and Bassey Edet, 23, said they sold the phone for N10,000.
According to the victim, he was on his way to withdraw money from the bank when he was accosted by the suspects, who snatched the phone, which he claimed was worth N88,000.
One of the suspects, Mathias, confessed that the phone was sold for N10,000, pleaded for forgiveness, and pledged to help the victim recover it from the buyer.
Speaking on their arrest on Wednesday in Calabar, the Vice-Chancellor, Unical, Prof. Florence Obi, said it was sad that the suspects had turned to hoodlums, who were harassing people and snatching their phones and other belongings.
She said the suspects were not students of the university but had been harassing undergraduates on campus, especially in the hostels.
She condemned criminal activities on the campus and said the university had not yet recovered from the destruction of its facilities by hoodlums, who hijacked the #EndSARS protest on October 24, 2020.
Obi stated, “I want to commend the security men, who apprehended the suspects. This shows that the training sessions we have been organising for them are yielding results.
“The training was organised to sharpen their mental alertness so that they can carry out their duties effectively and creditably.
“I want to advise parents to always know the whereabouts of their children and the kind of company they keep.
“We know that things are hard; I want to encourage parents, who cannot afford a university education for their children, to send them to learn a skill and be self-reliant.
“Learning a skill and fending for yourself is more dignifying because we all pride ourselves when feeding from the dignity of our labour.”
She added that the suspects would be handed over to security agencies for investigation and prosecution to serve as a deterrent to others.
