University Of Nigeria Confirms Four Students Dead In Off-Campus Party, Declares Mourning
The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State, has confirmed that four of its students died following an off-campus gathering in the university community, while six others are receiving medical treatment at different hospitals.
The university also declared three days of mourning in honour of the deceased students, suspending all social and academic activities during the period.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Simon Ortuanya, disclosed this in a statement published on the university’s official Facebook page on Thursday.
According to the statement, 10 students from different departments attended an off-campus party 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, while the remaining six were rushed to different hospitals for treatment.
Ortuanya described the incident as tragic, saying it was “a death too many”.
“Within these three days, all social and academic activities will be suspended in the University,” the Vice-Chancellor said.
The university management expressed condolences to the families of the deceased, saying it shared in their grief and prayed for the repose of the souls of the students.
It also clarified that the students involved in the gathering came 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 after the gathering.
Videos circulating on social media showed several people lying motionless inside a room following the incident.
Earlier, the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigerian Students (PANS), UNN chapter, had dismissed reports that seven Pharmacy students died during the incident.
The association’s president, Onah Olisaemeka, said there was no confirmed information indicating that any Pharmacy student was among the victims.
Olisaemeka disclosed that he visited Faith Foundation Hospital, where the bodies of four persons — two males and two females — had been deposited.
He said he did not recognise any of the deceased as a Pharmacy student.
Meanwhile, the university management said it was working with security agencies to establish the actual circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The institution also reiterated its ban on sign-out celebrations, warning students against organising wild parties to mark the completion of their academic programmes.
It advised students to treat the completion of their studies as a period of reflection rather than engaging in celebrations that could expose them to danger.
The management also announced the suspension of a planned town hall meeting between the university community and the Enugu State governor following the tragedy.
