Law enforcement: Cliffs might be popular, but jumping there is illegal

A lot of people visit Lake Nicol to have fun and take in the beauty of nature. For some of those visitors, jumping off the cliffs and into the water is part of the package. But hiking up and leaping down is downright dangerous, and that’s why it’s illegal.

The potential danger is at the forefront this week after 18-year-old University of Alabama student Ifeanyi Chidubem Prince Anyoku, who’s from Nigeria, was found dead by divers Saturday after he leapt into the lake hours earlier.

Witnesses told investigators that Anyoku jumped from the cliffs into Lake Nicol Saturday and never resurfaced.

Capt. Jack Kennedy and the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit are investigating the case, but they don’t believe foul play was a factor.

“We don’t have any suspicions of anything out of the ordinary here other than a drowning or an accidental injury,” Kennedy said. “Obviously, we don’t have a coroner here. We work along with the medical examiner’s office with the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. We investigate unnatural deaths when they occur, and this would qualify for that. As of present, we don’t see that we have anything other than an accident here.”

The cause of death in this case has not been determined.

If you’re caught by authorities jumping from the cliffs at Lake Nicol, you can expect to face a $500 fine.