By Jacob Onuha Nelson
Africa Zeal University (AZU) administration has refuted reports of an armed group attack directly targeting its campus.
The high learning institution clarified that recent gunfire heard in the vicinity originated from a nearby military training center in Rajaf.
Gunfire, which occurred early this week, involved heavy artillery fire emanating from the Rajaf area. It was not clear the forces involved in the gunfire. These reports sparked concern among students, parents, and the wider community.
In a telephone interview, AZU’s Public Relations Officer Ajack Chol clarified that while the campus itself was not the primary target, the violence tragically resulted in the death of one AZU student.
The student, who was married and resided in accommodation provided by the military training center within the barracks, was caught in the crossfire.
“It’s false, the casualties are all military personnel though the other one is a student but he’s not a resident in the hostels. He was a soldier and stayed from the military barrack/Sector hence, the incident happened at the Barack or sector he was stationed in. That’s the reality,” she stressed.
“We want to assure the public, our community, parents and stakeholders that these reports are false and unfounded,” the university administration added.
“So, when the unknown gunmen attacked the military barrack that is when we confirmed that the incident was not mainly at the university campus,” she added.