12/12/2025
A student of Rivers State University (RSU) has been detained after a video showing him in a heated confrontation with a lecturer, identified as Prof. Benjamin Senibo Pepple, a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, went viral online. The footage also showed the student being held in a campus security cell following the incident.
An eyewitness has narrated what allegedly led to the altercation. According to the account, some first-year Computer Engineering students were in their classroom on Tuesday when a senior student entered to briefly share a Christian message and offer words of encouragement, a practice described as common among campus fellowships.
The eyewitness claims that Prof. Pepple walked into the classroom during the session and allegedly confronted the senior student, accusing him of misconduct. The lecturer reportedly slapped him multiple times, dragged his shirt, and called in the Chief Security Officer (CSO). The student was then arrested and detained by campus security throughout the day.
The witnessing student alleged that the detained student is the president of a Christian fellowship on campus and raised concerns over what they described as repeated harassment of Christian leaders by the lecturer. They called on concerned authorities and rights groups to intervene and petition the lecturer, adding that the detained student is now in poor health following the incident.
As of the time of reporting, the university has not issued an official statement regarding the confrontation or the student's detention.