The management of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, has debunked reports claiming that several of its students died in the collapse of a three-storey building near the institution on Sunday night.
The Rector of the polytechnic, Dr Chioma Irene Awuzie, had earlier on Monday visited the scene of the building collapse alongside officials of the institution to assess the situation.
Officials of the state government, security agencies and firefighters also joined the rescue operations at the site of the collapse.
However, in a statement issued on Monday, the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Dr Oguegbu Celestine Udoka, clarified what transpired in the area.
He said the building, located in Amaokpala community and not within the Polytechnic complex, was a privately owned lodge occupied by both students and non-students.
Dr Oguegbu explained that no student of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, had been confirmed dead, adding that the two persons believed to be trapped in the rubble were reportedly not students of the institution.
The institution stated that most students had already left the Polytechnic campus after completing their second-semester examinations before the incident occurred.
The management of the Polytechnic, however, appealed to members of the public to disregard unverified reports from any quarters.
It also assured the public that it would continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as rescue operations continued.