The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) has confirmed the deaths of four of its students following an off-campus party in Nsukka, Enugu State, and declared three days of mourning in their honour.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, confirmed the deaths while addressing journalists on Thursday, a day after the incident occurred.
Ortuanya said 10 students of the university attended the party organised to celebrate one of their friends who had completed his final-year examinations.
He said four of the students died after reportedly consuming substances suspected to be alcohol and drugs, while the remaining six were receiving treatment at different hospitals.
Describing the incident as a devastating loss to the university community, the vice-chancellor said it was “a death too many”.
He consequently declared three days of mourning, during which the university would suspend all social and academic activities.
Ortuanya also suspended a town hall meeting earlier scheduled between the university community and the Enugu State Governor, thanking the governor for his understanding.
He extended condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the deceased students, saying the university community shared in their grief.
The vice-chancellor dismissed reports suggesting that all the students involved in the incident were from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, clarifying that they belonged to different departments across the university.
He reiterated the university’s ban on all forms of sign-out celebrations and urged students to desist from activities that could endanger their lives.
He said graduation should be a period of reflection rather than an occasion for reckless celebrations.
Ortuanya added that the university was working with security agencies to establish the actual cause of the students’ deaths.
