At least four students of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) in Cross Rivers State have been suspended over unlawful act of water ritual on a fellow female student.
The University had in December 2022 ordered the cessation of the practice of “water ritual’’ in the school, describing it as unwholesome and not academic.
In the “water ritual’’, students pour water sporadically on matriculating and graduating students as an “initiation rite’’.
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Florence Obi however, approved the suspension of the students after identifying them in a viral video.
This was contained in a statement released and signed by Gabriel Egbe, Registrar of the institution on Saturday, noting that the unlawful act was carried out by the four students during the last matriculation ceremony of the institution on December 2, 2022.
The statement reads in part; “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,” Mr Egbe said.
The affected students are; Stephen Usen, an Accounting Department year four student, and Aniefiok Idorenyin, a year two student of Computer Science.
Others are Miracle Adeyemi, a year two student of Political Science, and Blessing Queen, a year four student of Genetics and Biotech.