The corpse of one Francis Aniude has been recovered by the police in Edo state after he drowned during a swimming exercise.
Auide bruised and scarred remains was recovered from the Ekosodin River in the Ekosodin community, near the Ugbowo campus of the university of Benin.
The police said two students of the tertiary institution, Samson Kennedy and Wilfred Emmanuel, have since been arrested in connection with Aniude’s death.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, confirmed the development to newsmen.
He said the suspects were assisting the command in the ongoing findings to unravel the circumstances surrounding the victim’s death.
Nwabuzor said the case was reported at the Ugbowo Police Station, adding that the Divisional Police Officer and his men led a team of local divers to the scene of the incident.
“Luckily enough, they were able to recover the body. The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigations.
“Two persons were arrested because they went together to swim in that river when the ugly incident occurred. Arresting them is very important so that we can know what made them leave their hostel and go to that river at that time and what happened right there in the river,” Nwabuzor said
A student who spoke in confidence for fear of victimisation said the suspects reportedly invited Aniude for a swim in the river when he allegedly drowned on June 29.
“After the deceased got drowned, the duo ran back to the Ekosodin community to seek the help of the community and vigilance members but the deceased died before help could come his way.
“The corpse was recovered from the river on July 1 by local divers. The two students were arrested following the discovery of blood on the deceased’s lips and peeled skin around his neck region which raised suspicion amongst family members and relatives who are demanding an autopsy.” Punch quoted the student as saying.