The family of a 300-level student of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni in Rivers State, who was killed last Saturday, has called for a thorough investigation into his death and justice to be served.
The family also said, contrary to some reports making the rounds, their late son, Julius Okpor, was not a cultist.
Recall that the Police, in a statement by its spokesperson in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, had said the student, Julius, who hails from Okposi community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA of the state, was shot dead during a suspected clash between rival cult groups in Rumuolumeni, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, where the institution is located.
But the elder brother of the deceased, Ambrose Okpor, while speaking to newsmen in Port Harcourt on Tuesday evening, dismissed reports linking his brother to cultism, insisting that he was never a cultist.
Okpor said he got wind of the incident from the deceased friend, who informed him that he was critically injured after being shot, adding that he raced to the scene and when he arrived, he met some policemen and vigilantes, but that Julius had already passed.
He also clarified that the remains of his late brother were deposited at the Military Hospital in Port Harcourt and not taken to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital as related by the police.
“On July 19, 2025, I received a distress call at about 9 pm from my brother’s friend, who is also his neighbour at Celelia Street, Rumuolumeni, that my brother had been shot and was lying critically on the street.
“On getting to the scene, I saw some policemen and OSPAC (codename for a vigilante group). We discovered he died on the spot and we immediately took his remains to the Military Hospital along Aba Road in Port Harcourt.
“Now the news has it that my brother was taken to the UPTH (University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital), which is not correct.
“My brother was never a cultist. And I want to call on the Nigeria Police to ensure that they get my brother’s killers’ and ensure that justice is served.”
He further said the family will not rest until those responsible for the murder of Julius Okpor face justice.
“We will not let this slide because we are his family members. He is my younger brother, and we will not stop until justice is served. My brother was gruesomely murdered by unknown gunmen.
“He was a 300-level student of Computer Science at the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, He was never a cultist and he does not have any bad record because he lived a free life, ” a distraught Ambrose stated.
The deceased elder sibling further said of his late brother, “His neighbours on Cevelia Street where he lived said he was their caretaker and they spoke good of him.”
