The police command in Bayelsa says it has begun a manhunt for the killers of one Francis Palowei, a final year student of the Niger Delta University (NDU), Amasoma, over N500 levy.
The command’s Spokesman, ASP Musa Mohammed said on Wednesday in Yenagoa that some youths killed the student over his alleged refusal to pay N500 levy to climb a sand dump in Amasoma.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the deceased was a student at the Social Science Education department of NDU and a native of Obrigbene in Ekeremor Local Council of the state.
The sand dump serves as relaxation spot for most youths in the area.
Mohammed said the state commissioner of police had ordered that the perpetrators should be immediately arrested and brought to justice.
He urged the deceased colleagues to be calm as the command would fish out the killers.
A resident of the community, who pleaded anonymity, said the incident occurred on July 15 and the sand dump was a place where students often go to relax, socialise by climbing to the height of the dump for fun.
He said some youths of the area, seeing the concentration of students around the sand dump, decided to increase the levy to N500 from N150, which degenerated into argument.
The community youth reinforced by calling other youths and subsequently the student was killed.
The Public Relations Officer of NDU, Mr Ndoni Igezi, who also confirmed the incident, described it as unfortunate, stating that police were already on top of the situation