OAU Final-Year Student Commits Suicide In Ile-Ife

A final-year student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, Oluwole Oluwaseun, has died in an incident the police have described as suicide.

The deceased, a 500-level student of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, was found at an apartment in the Damico area of Ooni Layout, Ile-Ife.

According to The Cable, Abiodun Ojelabi, spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, confirmed the development, saying preliminary investigations indicated that Oluwaseun took his own life.

“From the reports available to us, it is a case of suicide,” Ojelabi said.

“He is a 500-level student. It was a case of suicide, he hanged himself.”

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In a statement on Wednesday, Abiodun Olarewaju, OAU’s Public Relations Officer, said the university received information about an emergency involving the student at about 1:30pm on Tuesday.

According to the statement, the university’s response and security teams immediately proceeded to the location, where they were joined by officers from the Nigeria Police Force.

“The Nigeria Police was immediately contacted, and officers from the ‘A’ Division, Moore, Ile-Ife, joined the university’s security personnel at the scene,” the statement reads.

“The student was subsequently conveyed to the university health centre, where he was certified dead by a medical doctor.”

The university said it was “deeply concerned by the circumstances surrounding the death” and had handed relevant information and items recovered from the scene to the police.

“The police have commenced investigation into the circumstances of the incident,” the statement added.

OAU also appealed to members of its community to refrain from circulating unverified information or speculating about the circumstances surrounding the student’s death while investigations continue.

The institution urged students facing severe emotional distress, relationship difficulties, financial pressures or other personal challenges to seek assistance from trusted individuals and appropriate support structures.

Reacting to the incident, Simeon Bamire, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, expressed condolences to the deceased’s family, friends, classmates and colleagues.

Bamire also expressed concern for members of the university community who may have been emotionally affected by the tragedy and reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to the welfare of its students and staff.

“No student should feel that he or she has to confront overwhelming difficulties alone,” the Vice-Chancellor said.