UNIOSUN students protest colleague’s death as university clarifies circumstances

Students of Osun State University, UNIOSUN, have staged a protest at the institution’s College of Law, Ifetedo Campus, calling for improved healthcare services and medical facilities across the institution following the death of their colleague, Miss Grace Osunlakin.

The protest came after the university on Thursday announced the indefinite closure of the Ifetedo Campus following the death of the 400-level Criminology and Security Studies student.

In videos circulating on social media, students were seen weeping and demonstrating on campus while alleging that inadequate medical personnel and insufficient healthcare equipment contributed to the incident.

The protesters also alleged that there had been recurring cases of student deaths, claiming that inadequate medical facilities and limited access to emergency healthcare had contributed to previous incidents.

They called on the Osun State government and the university management to prioritise students’ welfare and improve healthcare services across all campuses, arguing that such measures would help prevent similar occurrences in future.

However, the university management rejected what it described as misleading narratives surrounding the student’s death and issued a preliminary report detailing the sequence of events leading to her passing.

The institution, in a statement by its spokesperson, Ademola Adesoji on Friday, said, “Grace Osunlakin successfully participated in her final-year project defence on June 23 before returning to her privately rented off-campus residence, where the university said she showed no visible signs of illness while on campus earlier that day.”

The university stated that “the deceased had been an asthmatic patient since her first year, with the condition documented in her medical records at the University Health Centre”.

It also said testimonies from her housemate indicated that she returned from a Christian fellowship later that evening, complained of stomach pain and subsequently went into distress.

The report stated that “when her condition worsened, arrangements were made to take her to a medical facility at about 11:30 p.m., but movement was reportedly affected by an unannounced Oro ritual in the Ifetedo community, making transportation difficult”.

The institution added that she was eventually taken to the Community Health Centre at Ikija on a motorcycle.

The university stressed that Grace was not taken to the University Health Centre at any point on the night of the incident.

It added that she was later confirmed dead at the Community Health Centre before further medical confirmation at Goshen Specialist Hospital in Ondo.

The management said the deceased’s remains were subsequently deposited at a mortuary after medical confirmation of her death, noting that the Head of Department and the Dean maintained communication throughout the process.

While expressing condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the late student, the university added that further reviews into the circumstances surrounding the incident would continue.