A 100-level student of the Rivers State University has drowned in the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) swimming pool, the Rivers police spokesman, Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed to the Peoples Gazette on Tuesday evening.

The Gazette learnt the incident which happened on Sunday left other swimmers in fear.

Mr Omoni said, “Investigation is ongoing as directed by the state police commissioner, Friday Eboka.”

The student, identified as Emmanuel, had visited the pool with three friends but drowned while swimming at the Olympic-size swimming pool in the sports complex at the school Abuja campus.

The UNIPORT spokesperson, Sam Kpenu, said the remains of the deceased has been deposited at the mortuary.

The Gazette gathered that the friends who had gone to the pool with the deceased were being interrogated at the Choba police station.

People are now banned from using the swimming pool with the Vice-Chancellor, Owunari Georgewill, stating that it would only be open for professional uses.

“We wish to inform all staff and students that the University of Port Harcourt swimming pool is an Olympic size swimming pool and henceforth we are placing a ban on pleasure swimming in the pool. 

“Kindly bear with us as this is done to forestall further unfortunate incidents as it happened Sunday 12th September 2021. 

“We lost a student of Rivers State University who came to swim for leisure with his three friends,” the Vice-Chancellor was quoted to have said.