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Tag: student’s death

  • Offa poly probes student’s death

    The Management of the Federal Polytechnic Offa (FEDPOFFA) is investigating the suicide of one of its students, Ridwan Ajiboye, alleged to have been caused by his handling of the money he gathered from selling handouts for a lecturer.

    In a statement, Olayinka Iroye, Head, Public Relations and Protocols at the institution, debunked claims about the cause of death of the ND 1 student of Civil Engineering.

    The statement reads: “The deceased, an ND 1 student of Civil Engineering actually took some quantity of poisonous substance which led to his death days after he was taken to several hospitals for treatment.

    “However, the other angle to the story…that the said student took poison because he was embarrassed by a lecturer over handout proceeds, is unfounded and false.

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    “Up till now, the circumstance surrounding the reason why the student took the substance is shrouded in mystery. However, the Management is investigating the case to get to the root of the matter.”

    The statement added that the sale of handouts had been outlawed at the institution for over 20 years.

    “For the benefit of doubt, sale of handouts has been banned for more than two decades at the Polytechnic and no lecturer sells handout to students no matter the situation.

    “Management of the Federal Polytechnic Offa headed by Dr. Lateef Olatunji has eradicated all forms of corruption and malpractices, and machineries have been put in place to curb and check every forms of indiscipline by both staff and students,” it reads.

    The statement also noted that a report of another attempted suicide by an ND student of Estate Management was false.

  • Student’s death sparks protest in federal poly

    There is crisis in the Federal Polytechnic Ekowe, Bayelsa State, following the drowning of a student of Public Administration, identified simply as Ade.

    Ade was said to have drowned in a nearby river when he tried to fetch water  following lack of water on campus.

    Lack of potable water on campus has forced students to rely on the river and other means.

    A source said Ade fell into the river and drowned because he could not swim. He was with friends.

    “Two of them could not swim so when Ade fell into the river, his friends raised the alarm. But before people could get to him, he had died”, he said.

    In anger, students demonstrated on campus.

    The Rector, Timi Seiyaboh and his management, were not on campus, as they operate from Yenagoa.

    Students allege that attempts to call Seiyaboh were futile, adding that there no top official was around.

    A detachment of police operatives was sent to the school to avert a breakdown of law and order.

    Rights activist Alagoa Morris faulted the management’s handling of the matter.

    He said: “It is interesting to hear that he police arrived the campus, which is situated along the River Nun, but very unfortunate to also hear that the authorities of the institution are remaining in Yenagoa inviting students to come out.

    “Whether the fares of students will be shouldered by the authorities, it’s unacceptable. The school should not be run from Yenagoa.

    “The rector and other management have to go down to Ekowe and justify their pay and engagement by the Federal Government”.

    Seiyaboh said he was on ground to handle the issues and denied allegations that he runs the school from Yenagoa.

    “I’m always on ground and I have been here to handle the problem. There was no time I asked students to meet me in Yenagoa”, he said.

  • Final year student’s death sparks row

    Final year student’s death sparks row

    A final year Agricultural Economics student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Tobechukwu Okeke, has been found dead in his off-campus hostel. Some say he committed suicide because of financial challenges, citing the suicide note found in his room. Others debunk the suicide theory, claiming that he may have been killed. JAMES OJO (400-Level Mass communication) reports.

    Is it a case of suicide or murder? Available evidence – a suicide note – points to the former, but some of  his friends alleged that he was killed. Last Sunday, the body of Tobechukwu Okeke, a final year Agricultural Economics student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) was found dangling from the roof in his room. He left a suicide note, which reads: “My mother, father and brother, I am sorry. Sister Ify, may your children never suffer. Uncle Mathias, you gave me all. I am sorry. My department, I am so sorry.”

    His off-campus hostel at 6, Odenigwe Lane in Nsukka, Enugu State, was thrown into confusion after his body was found. The late Tobechukwu, with matriculation number 2012/185649, allegedly committed suicide, days after he was said to have complained of financial challenges.

    His neighbours returned from church to find his body. His Senate Lodge hostel was jampacked, as students gathered to see the body.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the incident may have happened in the wee hours of Sunday because the late Tobechukwu did not come out of his room in the morning. It was gathered that the body was found by his friend  in the evening.

    His department was quiet on Monday, following the incident. His mates were seen standing in groups, discussing the incident in hushed tones. There were no lectures for final year students because of the incident. Some of his classmates, who spoke with CAMPUSLIFE, described the late Tobechuwu as “brilliant and gentle”.

    Elizabeth Agwu, his classmate, described him as “easy-going and hardworking student”. She said: “He was popular in the department because people saw him as a nice guy. He made people laugh and he was one of the best football players in the department’s and faculty’s soccer teams.”

    CAMPUSLIFE learnt that the late Tobechukwu was absent from lectures for two weeks, leaving his colleagues wondering what was happening because he was not such a student.

    Elizabeth said: “We discovered that, in the past two weeks, Tobechukwu did not attend lectures regularly. This was unusual because he was one of the first set of students to arrive for classes. Last week, I was told he called one of our classmates and begged them for money. We don’t know the reason he committed suicide, because he was doing very well in his studies.”

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the body was evacuated by the police, while no arrest has been made. The body was taken away in a Toyota Sienna car at 7:30pm on Sunday.

    Some of his friends, who pleaded not to be named, said the late Tobechukwu had been complaining of owing many people.

    Kalu Lux-Sanctus, a 400-Level Linguistics student, told CAMPUSLIFE that the late Tobechukwu had just been given a contract to lay electric wire in the newly-accredited Department of Linguistics. “The wiring work was supposed to start last Monday,” said Sanctus, who lives on the same street with the late Tobechukwu.

    Bernard Uju, a 400-Level Crop Science student, who said he knew the late Tobechukwu from their first year, stated: “I am not surprised he killed himself. We all saw it coming. We are in different departments but we still get to see each other on a daily basis. He is always looking frustrated, distant and sad. He begged for money a lot and all the money he had went to Bet9ja gambling.

    “We noticed recently that he was broke, because he was begging for money. He was an electrician, too. Students used to give him minor electrical repairs. I never heard him saying anything about his family, because I don’t think they supported him financially.”

    Reliving his last encounter with the late Tobechukwu, Chinonso Nebechi, a 300-Level Political Science student, who lives close to his hostel, said he saw him cleaning his mouth on Saturday morning.

    “I saw him on Saturday when he was brushing his teeth. I didn’t  know it would be the last time I would see him,” Chinonso said, adding that he did not believe the suicide theory.

    He said: “I didn’t know it was Tobechukwu who died until I saw his picture. I still believe he was killed. How did the supposed suicide go? He was tall and his ceiling is not too high. When the body was found, his feet were on the floor. Only God knows what happened to him on Sunday morning.”

    CAMPUSLIFE spoke to the landord of the hostel, who declined to give his name. The landlord said: “We have given out enough information to the public already. I am not ready to talk on the issue again. What we are planning now is how to bury the body. For now, we are still trying to resolve the matter with the police. When the event happened, they came to his room and searched everywhere, yet they are demanding for money. That is all I can say for now.”

    The university’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Okwun Omeaku, said the incident did not happen on campus.

    He said: “We are in the know of the development. Even though the victim was our student, there is nothing we can say about it because the incident happened in an off-campus hostel. We will allow the police to do their investigation. The Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the university is aware of the development too; we will make statement based on the report that will be submitted to the school management by the CSO after the police investigation.”

  • Rector probes student’s death

    RECTOR of the Polytechnic, Sokoto, Prof Aminu Ibrahim has set up a 12-man committee to investigate the death of a student and a demonstration that followed.

    Students of the polytechnic staged a peaceful protest ýafter Muyideen Salawu died of an alleged water-borne disease because of claims that the school’s clinic is non-functional.

    They also complained about inadequate water and power supply which they said compounded their condition on the campus and contributed to Salawu’s death.

    Salawu was said to have died in private clinic in Sokoto.

    The Rector, who gave the committee one week to submit its report, said those found wanting would be sanctioned.

    ‘’There are rules and regulations guiding the operations of the institution and we will not hesitate to sanction anyone who may be indicted.  I will surely be guided by the findings of the committee  and we will never toy with the welfare and security of the students,’’ Ibrahim promised.

    However, Ibrahim debunked claims that the National Diploma (ND) 1 student died of acute malaria.  He also said the clinic works.

    “It is untrue that the student died due water borne disease, as malaria was the cause of his death.  Our clinic is fully functioning and he was admitted in the clinic on Friday, from where he was referred to Lafiya clinic.

    ‘’All our students are covered by the NHIS at the clinic and we also do make referrals to the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto,’’ the Rector, said.

    Ibrahim further debunked the allegations of lack of water, saying that the school has solar-powered boreholes and those powered by generators.

    ‘’The issue of light is a national one and not peculiar to the polytechnic alone, but we have functional generators powered by diesel located in strategic places.

    ‘’We also have solar-powered lights to enable the students read comfortably at night,’’ he said.

    President of the Students’ Union, Mr Halliru Binji, said he did not know about the protest.

    “I am not aware about the plan to conduct the demonstration, but I had to rush to the scene and brought the situation under control,’’ he said.

    Spokesman of the State Police Command, Mr El-Mustapha Sani, who confirmed the protest, also said that there was no loss of life.

  • Yabatech students blame medical centre for colleague’s death

    Yabatech students blame medical centre for colleague’s death

    Academic activities were on Wednesday obstructed at Yaba College of Technology in Lagos State following the death of a High National Diploma (HND) 2 student.

    According to sources, Students blame the death of the female student on the Medical team of the College for negligence.

    “They didn’t attend to her when she was brought in alive. They insisted that those who brought her must depositN35,000 before they would attend to her.

    “In fact, when she was confirmed dead, they still didn’t attend to her corpse with foam in her mouth. This is wicked,” President of UNICAS lamented.

    As at the time of filling this report, the family members of the deceased have arrived and the corpse has been moved to Atan Cementry.

    Meanwhile, students would not allow her buried without a casket; “She deserves a befitting burial so the school should get a casket for her,” another source noted.

    TheNation gathered that until her death, the deceased was the best student in the Office Technology Management Department with a 3.97GP.

    Currently, the students have destroyed the medical centre and were said to be heading to the Rector’s office to do likewise.

    However, the School Management in a statement claimed that the late Dazan was a victim of Sickle Cell Anaemia.

    “She had developed a crisis in the afternoon of Tuesday, February 9, 2016 and was temporary on admission at the College Medical Centre under close watch of the Centre’s Management.

    “She was, however discharged when her condition became stable so that she could get prepared for her examination today, Wednesday, February 10, 2016. Practical examinations began round the College last Monday as a precursor to the main general examination scheduled for Monday, February 15.

    “The late Dazan’s crisis relapsed around midnight and her room mates rushed her back to the medical centre where precautionary medical attention was given to her, with a promise to refer her to the Federal Medical Centre at Ebute Metta as soon as day break.

    “She was being conveyed to the Federal Medical Centre early this morning when she gave up the ghost,” the College noted.

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  • NANS to protest students’ death

    •‘Bar trailer drivers in daytime’

    THE National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has deplored the activities of heavy-duty truck drivers on the highways, which it said had killed more than 15 students in the last two months.

    The apex students’ body said it would be forced to apply extreme measures if the government did not find solution to the killings.

    NANS Vice President for National Affairs, Gbenga Ayenuro, made the statement last weekend, following the death of two students, Isaac Omojuwa and Ebenezer Omojola, who were crushed by trailers on the Lagos-Ibadan and the Akure-Ilesha expressways.

    •The late Isaac
    •The late Isaac

    The late Isaac, a student of Ekiti State University (EKSU) and Treasurer of the National Association of Ondo State Students (NAOSS), was travelling to Lagos when the bus conveying him was crushed by a trailer.

    The late Ebenezer, who was president of Society of Chemistry Students of Nigeria (SCSN) at the Adekunle Ajasin University in Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, was involved in an accident caused by a cement truck.

    Ayenuro said NANS would protest the incidents to draw attention to the killing of students by the heavy-duty vehicles on the highways. He urged the government agencies charged with making the highways safe for commuters to live up to the tasks by preventing and minimising accidents on expressways.

    •The late Ebenezer
    •The late Ebenezer

    He said the students’ body would no longer watch while trucks kill students. He said NANS had sent out letters to all Students’ Union Government (SUG) presidents and Joint Campus Committee (JCC) chairmen to block any federal highway to protest students’ death.

    The SUG President of AAUA, Olukayode Ogunade, urged the government to bar trucks and trailers on the highways in the daytime.

    He said such measure would prevent accidents on the highways, noting that activities of truck drivers on the road had led to loss of lives.

    Olukayode condemned the Ebenezer’s death, saying it was wrong for the government to look away while trailers kill students on the highways.

    He said: “It is disheartening, pathetic and appalling that fatal accidents now happen daily on our highways. The situation is unbearable and we can’t cope with it any longer. Our highways have turned to death trap, sucking the blood of innocent youths and productive students, who are potentially capable of changing the fortunes of this country.

    “The Federal Government should caution the truck drivers on reckless driving and ensure strict compliance with road safety laws.”

  • ‘No hand in student’s death’

    Akaka Community (Gold City) in Remo North Local Government Area of Ogun State has denied involvement in the gruesome ritual killing of a female student of Sapade Polytechnic.

    In a statement by Samuel Obasa (Chairman), Oye Adetayo (Secretary) and Oyedele Ogunwale (Treasurer), the Akaka Development Council (ADC) described the reports linking the community to the crime as embarrassing, provocative, untrue, professionally wrong, scandalous and malicious.

    The ADC said: “Our attention has been drawn to reports linking the murder at Oposo Community to Akaka, Remo. We say that such heinous crime cannot happen in our community, the food basket of Ogun State, a progressive town that boasts of many sons and daughters who are professors, lawyers, doctors, pharmacists, top police officers, religious leaders, engineers, captains of industry, and several other professionals and top businessmen.”