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From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), witnessed blood and broken flags last week. What began with accusation of stealing of N13,000 culminated in the death of a 21-year-old student, arrest of three suspects and the indefinite disbandment of one of FUTO’s oldest student commands.
The university, known for producing engineers and tech leaders, now grapples with grief, anger and hard questions about justice and accountability.
Chinedu Chibuzor Christogonus, a 100-level Cyber Security student, died after he was allegedly tortured by members of the FUTO Man O’ War Command, over claims that he stole N13,000, according to reports circulating on campus.
The Imo State Police Command confirmed it has arrested three 500-Level FUTO students: Chukwuemeka Benedict, 21, Kelechi Gospel Ikenna, 24, and Obioma Anastasia, 21, in connection with the death.
“Upon receiving the report, Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, CP Audu Garba Bosso, ordered the immediate arrest of the suspects,” said police spokesperson, Henry Okoye.
Okoye added that key evidence has been recovered, the deceased’s body deposited at the Owerri Federal Medical Centre (FMC) morgue for autopsy, and the case transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Owerri.
“The command is fully on top of the situation and committed to uncovering the full circumstances of Chinedu’s death,” he said. “No individual, regardless of status, will be shielded from the law, if found culpable.”
Police are urging the FUTO community and the deceased’s family to remain calm while investigations continue.
News of Chinedu’s death spread fast across the FUTO community and WhatsApp groups. For many students, it was not an isolated case. Allegations of “numerous tortures” by the Man O’ War Command had simmered for months. Chinedu’s death became the breaking point.
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On the day of the incident, students poured into the streets of the campus, while angry protesters demolished the Man O’ War flag base and vandalised facilities linked to the command. Videos from the scene showed students chanting for justice, some carrying placards with the inscriptions: “End Campus Brutality” and “Justice for Chinedu.”
By evening, the Dean of Student Affairs announced the indefinite disbandment of the FUTO Man O’ War Command, pending further investigation and administrative action. The move was aimed at dousing tension, but the mood on campus remains raw.
The Man O’ War is a paramilitary youth organisation in many Nigerian campuses, tasked with discipline, crowd control and orientation. At FUTO, it has long been a powerful, and, sometimes, feared unit.
The current crisis has forced a reckoning. The alumni, students, and parents are now asking: ‘Where is the line between maintaining order and abuse of power?’ And who holds student-enforcers accountable?
As of the time of filing this report, the university authorities had not released a detailed official statement on the allegations as investigations were still ongoing.
On campus, the grief is personal. Chinedu was in his first year, just beginning his journey in Cyber Security. His course mates described him as quiet, hardworking, and “someone who didn’t deserve this.”
The hashtag #JusticeForChinedu has trended among FUTO students online, with calls for a transparent probe and an end to jungle justice on campus.
The police said all suspects linked to the incident will be identified and questioned. For the FUTO community, the stakes go beyond one case. It is about restoring trust between students and the institutions meant to protect them.
The SCID Owerri is expected to release the autopsy findings and charge sheets in the coming days while the university’s management is under pressure to publish the findings of its internal investigation into the Man O’ War.
Meanwhile, the students’ leaders have called for a town hall to discuss reforms of security groups on campus. At the moment, FUTO is quiet, but not healed. The flags are down at the Man O’ War base, but many unanswered questions are still blowing in the wind.
