By Frank Ulom
The students of the University of Cross River (UNICROSS), on Monday, protested the death of their mates on Friday, May 1, 2026, following an auto crash with a truck in Odukpani.
The students who protested at the General Hospital, Calabar, were chanting angry songs and became violent, attacking personnel and destroying hospital facilities.
The students who blamed the hospital for negligence alleged that their colleagues would not have died if the hospital had not rejected them when they were brought from the accident scene.
The students also took the protest to the governor’s office, where the security agents on duty dispersed the crowd with the use of teargas.
One of the students, Martha Nkom told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that after the crash, two of their colleagues who later died were rushed to the General Hospital but were not attended to due to the absence of doctors.
“The students were rejected because there were no personnel in the emergency unit and in a bid to transfer them to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), they died on the way.
“We are angry and we are here to show our disapproval of a shambolic system that has caused the death of our colleagues,” she said.
However, the Government of Cross River had on Sunday, May 3, 2026, claimed that the General Hospital did its best and that none of the victims died in the hospital due to its negligence or delays in service but at the scene of the crash.
In a swift reaction, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Sunday Eitokpah, confirmed the incident, noting that he was at the scene of the event.
“So far so good, we’ve been able to put the situation under control. Further information will be communicated shortly via an official press release if need be,” he said.
Converseer reports that on Saturday, May 2, 2026, over 20 students en route from Uyo in Akwa Ibom State to Calabar, were involved in an accident that left four dead, including student leaders and a staff member.
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