The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi, has approved the suspension of four students of the institution identified in a viral video and found culpable of partaking in an unlawful act of water ritual on a fellow female student.
The announcement of the suspension is contained in a release signed on Saturday in Calabar by Mr Gabriel Egbe, Registrar of the institution.
Egbe said that the unlawful act was carried out by the four students during the last matriculation ceremony of the institution on Dec. 2, 2022.
Egbe mentioned the affected students to include Stephen Usen, a student of Accounting Department, year 4, and Aniefiok Idorenyin, a student of Computer Science, year 2.
Others are Miracle Adeyemi, a student of Political Science, year 2 and Blessing Queen, a student of Genetics and Biotech, year 4.
In the “water ritual”, students pour water sporadically on matriculating and graduating students as an “initiation rite”.
“Management deliberated extensively on the report of the committee on Gender-Based Violence and the strength of its findings and has accordingly directed the affected students to proceed on suspension with effect from the 2020/2021 academic session.
“Deans, Heads of Departments and other relevant officers of the university have been tasked with the duty of full compliance with the given directive,” Egbe said.
You may recall that on December 26, 2022, the VC, Prof. Florence Obi ordered the cessation of the practice of “water ritual” in the school, describing it as unwholesome and not academic.
The order was against the backdrop of the viral video in which a female student was subjected to indignity at the last matriculation.
In the video clip, a group of young men indulged in inhumane and barbaric action.
Besides the official discontinuance of the unacceptable act, a committee has been set put to investigate the ugly act meted on the female student and those found culpable to be sanctioned appropriately.
That has led to the immediate suspension of the four undergraduates.