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POLICE OPEN FIRE AS STUDENTS PROTEST POOR HEALTHCARE IN CROSS RIVER

Calabar, Cross River State – By Prime Brief Media

Tensions erupted in Cross River State on Monday after police officers reportedly opened fire on a group of students protesting poor healthcare delivery and infrastructural neglect. The protest, which began peacefully along major streets in Calabar, quickly turned chaotic when security operatives attempted to disperse the crowd, with multiple witnesses alleging that live ammunition was discharged to break up the demonstration.

Videos widely shared on social media captured the moment students, many of them from tertiary institutions, scrambled for safety as gunshots echoed. One clip showed panicked students scaling fences and diving behind parked vehicles. Eyewitness accounts, which Prime Brief Media is working to independently verify, said at least two students sustained minor injuries while fleeing, though no fatalities have been reported.

The students had gathered to demand improved healthcare services in the state, citing dilapidated facilities at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and general hospitals across the state. Their placards read “Our Health, Our Right” and “Stop Killing Us with Negligence.” However, the protest was met with a heavy police presence, leading to confrontation. The Cross River State Police Command has yet to issue an official statement on the incident.

Human rights organisations, including the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), have condemned the shooting, calling for an independent investigation into the conduct of the officers involved. “Peaceful assembly is a constitutional right. The use of lethal force to suppress dissent is unacceptable,” SERAP said in a tweet.

The incident comes amid growing frustration over the state's healthcare system and reinforces long-standing concerns about police handling of protests in Nigeria. Civil society groups have urged the Police Service Commission to sanction any officer found culpable.

Prime Brief Media will continue to track security and rescue efforts across the state as this story develops.

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