The Cross River State Police Command has refuted accusations that its officers opened fire on University of Cross River State student demonstrators during a demonstration in Calabar, describing the widely circulated footage as false and deceptive.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Cross River Police Public Relations Officer, Eitokpah Akata, said the Command had reviewed the event and found no evidence to corroborate reports that live ammunition was used on demonstrators.
“The Command wishes to state unequivocally that the circulating narrative is incorrect and does not represent the verified sequence of events as observed and documented by security operatives deployed to the scene,” the statement partly read.
The police said that the traffic accident that killed three students on May 1 at Ikot Okon, New Okurikang Junction in Odukpani Local Government Area, set off the protest.
The Command revealed that it had received information before the demonstration and sent out officers, including the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of operations, to keep an eye on things and keep law and order intact.
“At about 0900 hrs on 4th May 2026, the command received credible intelligence of a planned student protest and promptly deployed the deputy commissioner of police, Department of Operations, alongside other police personnel, to ensure public safety, maintain law and order, and prevent any breakdown of peace,” the statement added.
According to Akata, the demonstration started out calmly with police interacting with student leaders and pleading for calm, but at various points during the parade, it descended into violence.
“On arrival, police personnel engaged student leaders in dialogue and appealed for calm and orderly conduct. The protest initially commenced peacefully before it later degenerated into violence,” Akata stated.
The police maintained that no firearms were used throughout the protest.
“The Command states categorically that no protester was shot, no protester was targeted with firearms, and at no time were live rounds discharged by police operatives during the entire incident,” he said.
However, it claimed that some demonstrators damaged public facilities at the General Hospital, such as an ambulance, leading to a controlled reaction by security personnel.
“However, upon reaching the General Hospital, some aggrieved protesters became violent and vandalized public infrastructure, including an ambulance, windows, signposts, and other hospital facilities.
“Police operatives responded with restraint and adopted lawful, non-lethal crowd management procedures aimed strictly at de-escalating tension and restoring order while preventing further destruction of public property,” he said.
When demonstrators advanced to the Government House and tried to force access, the situation apparently got worse.
“The procession later moved to the Government House, where some protesters became increasingly aggressive and attempted to force entry into the premises, thereby posing a serious threat to public safety and critical government infrastructure,” Akata stated.
According to the Force, officers deployed non-lethal measures, including smoke canisters, to disperse the crowd and restore order.
“In response, security personnel deployed minimal, lawful, and non-lethal crowd-control measures, including the deployment of smoke canisters as a controlled, non-lethal dispersal measure into the air to safely disperse the crowd. The measure was applied strictly to prevent a breach of security and restore order in line with standard public order policing procedures.”
The Force emphasized that no fatalities were recorded during the protest and that no deaths resulted from police action.
“The command further reiterates that no fatalities were recorded during the protest, and no death occurred as a result of police action,” Akata noted.
Following intervention by government authorities, including the special adviser on security, and a meeting between student groups and Deputy Governor Peter Odey, normalcy was reportedly restored.
The public was advised by the police to ignore what they regarded as incendiary and inaccurate content that could cause friction.
Governor Bassey Otu expressed grief over the incident, describing it as devastating and a major loss to the state.
In a statement, the governor said the tragedy had plunged Cross River into mourning and extended condolences to the families of the victims and the university community.
