UNN CONFIRMS DEATHS OF FOUR STUDENTS, DECLARES THREE DAYS OF MOURNING

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By ‘Balogun Ibrahim

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State, has confirmed the deaths of four students following an off-campus party in the university community and declared three days of mourning in their honour.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, announced this in a statement shared on the university’s Facebook page on Thursday, disclosing that six other students who attended the gathering were receiving medical treatment at various hospitals.

According to the statement, 10 students from different departments attended the party, which was organised to celebrate a friend who had completed his final-year examinations. Four of the students reportedly died after consuming substances suspected to be alcohol and drugs.

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Ortuanya said all social and academic activities would be suspended across the university during the three-day mourning period, describing the incident as “a death too many”.

The university management expressed sympathy with the families of the deceased, assuring them of its solidarity during the difficult period.

“The Management, staff and the students of the University of Nigeria share in their grief at this difficult moment and pray for the repose of the souls of the departed,” the statement read.

The management also clarified that the students involved were from different departments, dismissing reports that all the victims were members of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

The incident reportedly occurred at an off-campus lodge in the Hilltop area of Nsukka, where four people were found dead following the gathering. Videos circulating on social media showed several individuals lying motionless inside a room.

Earlier, the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigerian Students, UNN chapter, dismissed reports that seven Pharmacy students died in the incident, stating that there was no confirmed information linking any Pharmacy student to the victims.

The association’s president, Onah Olisaemeka, said he visited Faith Foundation Hospital, where the bodies of four individuals, comprising two males and two females, had been deposited. He added that he could not identify any of the deceased as a Pharmacy student.

The university management said it was collaborating with security agencies to determine the actual circumstances surrounding the deaths.

It also reiterated its prohibition of sign-out celebrations, urging students to regard the completion of their academic programmes as a period for reflection rather than excessive festivities.

Meanwhile, the university suspended a planned town hall meeting between members of its community and the Enugu State Governor.