A student of the University of Benin was shot dead and two others injured on Sunday night after masked gunmen opened fire on a vehicle near the institution's main gate at Ugbowo, triggering widespread fear across the university community.

The victims were travelling in a JLK Mercedes Benz when the attackers fired directly at the occupants before fleeing the scene. The deceased, whose identity had not been officially released as of the time of filing this report, was said to have completed an examination in the Department of Political Science barely an hour before the attack and died on the spot from gunshot wounds sustained at close range.

The two survivors were rushed to the University's health centre for emergency medical attention. Eyewitnesses described the attack as targeted, with the nature of the assault suggesting the assailants had specifically identified their victims.

A student who witnessed the incident told reporters that panic spread immediately gunshots were heard across the campus area. Security operatives from the Ugbowo Divisional Police Headquarters later arrived to evacuate the remains of the deceased and restore calm.

The Divisional Police Officer, identified as SP Emmanuel, confirmed that the police had been notified of the incident but disclosed that details surrounding the attack remained unclear at the early stage of investigation. As of Monday morning, the Nigeria Police Force in Edo State had yet to release an official statement on the killing or its possible motives.

The Sunday night attack was not an isolated scare. A day earlier, on Saturday, another student was reportedly chased by an armed individual wielding a machete near the Social Science Lecture Theatre. The student escaped without injuries after raising an alarm.

Students have since taken to social media to mourn the deceased and demand urgent intervention from university authorities and security agencies. Calls for improved surveillance and stronger security presence around the campus and its surrounding areas have grown louder following both incidents.

University authorities had yet to issue an official statement on the killing as investigations continued.