Reported by Stone Reporters.
The University of Benin (UNIBEN) is at the centre of a heated controversy following the resignation of the Chaplain of All Saints’ Chapel, Venerable Egbunusi Osazee David, as Chairman of the Cult Renunciation, Reconciliation, Reformation, Rehabilitation and Interfaith Committee (CR4IC). In a three‑page resignation letter dated May 10, 2026, the chaplain accused the Vice Chancellor, Professor Edoba Omoregie, SAN, of demanding that he delete video clips of a fatal shooting at the university’s main gate and of threatening him with a countdown ultimatum.
According to the chaplain’s letter, he had earlier forwarded to the Vice Chancellor a clip related to suspected cult activity on campus. Later, after hearing sporadic gunshots near the Chapel Vicarage, he received two further clips showing a violent cult confrontation in which a person was killed in front of the school gate along the express road. Acting in good faith, he forwarded those clips to the Vice Chancellor. Within minutes, he alleged, the Vice Chancellor called “furiously, demanding that I delete the clips I had transmitted; clips that constitute a contemporaneous record of a violent incident in which a human life was lost.”
He further claimed that the Vice Chancellor issued a countdown ultimatum, beginning at five minutes and reducing it to three and then two minutes, within which he was required to delete the materials, and threatened to report him to the head of the Anglican Communion and to deploy university security personnel to remove him from the Chapel Vicarage. The chaplain stated that he has not deleted the clips, insisting that evidence must be preserved for any legal or investigative processes. He described the VC’s actions as “unwarranted, disproportionate, and inconsistent with the expected cordiality and dignity of our offices,” and as a “direct assault on the office of the University Chaplain.” He also criticised the lack of institutional response to the committee’s proposals, noting that recommendations had consistently been left unaddressed, rendering the committee ineffective.
The shooting that triggered the chaplain’s action occurred on Sunday, May 10, at the UNIBEN main gate. Gunmen in masks arrived in a car, blocked a grey Mercedes GLK, and opened fire, killing the driver. A 400‑level Biochemistry student, Miss Ubah Dorathy, was hit by a ricochet and sustained shoulder and rib injuries. A Political Science student, Mr. Chineyen Christian Mbagwu, was also injured. Separate eyewitness accounts reported a cutlass fight earlier at Twin LT, near the campus, which security operatives allegedly ignored. Witnesses noted the proximity and timing of the two incidents were too close to be coincidental. Police have launched an investigation, and no arrests have been announced.
The university management has since issued a sharp rejoinder. In a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer, Dr. Benedicta Ehanire, on May 11, management expressed “utter shock and disgust” at what it called a “mischievous write‑up” based on the chaplain’s “equally mischievous letter of resignation.” The university defended the Vice Chancellor’s engagements, stating that his travel and meetings were statutory obligations that have yielded tangible benefits, including the ongoing construction of a new Senate Building, the employment of over 500 new staff after a ten‑year embargo, attraction of grants from the World Bank and TETFund, and the development of Site B, among other achievements.
Management emphasised that it was “relieved” by the chaplain’s resignation, asserting that he had “literally not functioned effectively” as committee chairman. It characterised his remarks as “done in bad faith” and traced the friction to a separate dispute: the chaplain’s refusal to pay electricity bills commensurate with his operations, whereas other religious bodies on campus had cooperated. “The last straw was the persistent posting of clips of violence outside the University’s campus by the Venerable to the Vice Chancellor. This was seen as a deliberate attempt at seeking attention and excuse for the CRC4 Committee’s leadership failure,” the statement read. The university assured stakeholders that the campuses are “calm and safe” and that the Vice Chancellor remains committed to his agenda of uplifting UNIBEN, vowing not to be distracted by those who “do not mean well for the University.”
The Students’ Union and various student bodies have condemned the violence and promised to engage with the police to demand improved safety measures. Calls have emerged for an investigation into why security operatives ignored the cutlass fight at Twin LT. The chaplain, who copied his resignation letter to the Lord Bishop of the Diocese of Esan and the Registrar, has not issued a further public statement. The Vice Chancellor has not directly responded to the chaplain’s allegations beyond the management’s rejoinder. As the university community grapples with the daylight killing and the internal row, the controversy has cast a spotlight on institutional transparency, the handling of security intelligence, and the relationship between the chaplaincy and university administration.
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