Unknown Gunmen Kill University Of Calabar Lecturer

A University of Calabar (UNICAL) lecturer, Dr Godwin Iwatt, described as being 'too strict', has been killed by unknown gunmen.

Dr Godwin Iwatt, a lecturer at the Department of Microbiology who taught Virology and Microbial Ecology in the University was reported to have been shot on May 13, Tuesday at about 2:30pm at close range by the two hoodlums suspected to be students of the University while some students were writing exam.

The lecturer was left by the gunmen in a pool of his own blood while they fled the scene immediately.

The Head of Department (HOD), Dr B. E. Asikong, who rushed to the scene, found Dr Iwatt screaming for help. He was rushed to the medical centre from where he was transferred to the UNICAL Teaching Hospital (UCTH).

Dr Iwatt who was said to have been hit on his left thoracic cavity, was responding to treatment, unfortunately, died as a result of the injuries he sustained in the attack.

The news of Dr Iwatt's, who was recently appointed the university’s Examination Officer death paralysed activities in his department, as his colleagues gathered to mourn him.

Prior to his incident, it was gathered that Iwatt received several threat messages from unidentified persons. A source told our correspondent that, two weeks ago, some people visited the late Dr Iwatt’s private laboratory to attack him, but  he “escaped miraculously”.

The late Dr Iwatt’s home was attacked by unknown assailants the night before he was killed in his office. But he was said not to have reported the incident to the security unit.

“With all the threats, we still don’t know why an educated man of the status of Dr Iwatt would toy with his life. He never deemed it necessary to report the threat messages he had been receiving to us,” a high ranking university security officer said.

The Information Officer, Mr Effioing Eyo who gave the ages of the suspects to be between 22 and 28 said: “The problem we have at the moment is that we have not yet ascertained who the assailants are. We learnt that the assailants did not only threaten the late Dr Iwatt, they also threatened another lecturer, Dr. Maurice Ekpenyong, in the same department. It is disheartening that a lecturer has been sacrificed so brutally in the course of carrying out his duty. The murdered lecturer was only abiding by the school’s rules and regulations.”

The management has vowed to apprehend the unknown assailants.

Source: Legit.ng