Tension gripped Calabar on Monday as students of the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) staged a mass protest over the deaths of their colleagues following a recent road accident and what they described as gross negligence by medical personnel.
The protest was triggered by a tragic crash along the Calabar–Itu Highway, where four people lost their lives and several others were injured after a bus conveying UNICROSS students collided with a container truck. While one victim died at the scene, three others reportedly passed away later at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital.
However, students alleged that the situation was worsened by poor emergency response and negligence at the General Hospital Calabar, where some of the injured were initially taken. According to them, delays in treatment, inadequate facilities, and what they described as a lack of urgency by hospital staff contributed to the rising death toll.
Carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs, hundreds of students marched from the General Hospital through major roads in Calabar, demanding justice for their fallen colleagues and urgent reforms in the state’s healthcare system. The protest procession moved toward the Cross River State Government House, where they intended to present their grievances to the state government.
“We lost our friends not just because of the accident, but because of negligence,” one of the protesting students said. “If the response had been faster and the facilities better, maybe more lives could have been saved.”
The demonstration, which began peacefully, later turned chaotic as security operatives moved to disperse the crowd before they could reach the Government House. Eyewitnesses reported that officers fired tear gas canisters into the crowd, causing panic among the students.
In the ensuing confusion, some students alleged that gunshots were also fired into the air, forcing protesters to flee in different directions. Several students were reportedly injured during the stampede that followed, although the exact number remains unclear.
Security agencies have yet to issue a detailed official statement on the use of force, but sources say the intervention was aimed at preventing a breakdown of law and order in the city.
The incident has sparked outrage among students and civil society groups, who have condemned the handling of the protest and called for restraint by security forces. Many have also renewed calls for a thorough investigation into both the accident and the alleged negligence that followed.
Meanwhile, the UNICROSS community remains in mourning, with students insisting that their protest is not just about the accident, but about systemic failures that continue to put lives at risk.
As of the time of filing this report, calm has gradually returned to parts of Calabar, though tensions remain high, with many students vowing to continue demanding justice and accountability.
