Get Guardian on Google• Six students recuperating in hospital
• Varsity suspends activities for three-day mourning
The University of Nigeria (UNN) has suspended activities following the death of four students after an off-campus house party in Nsukka, Enugu State.
The university also declared three days of mourning for the deceased students.
Earlier reports had claimed that six graduate students of the university, attached to the Department of Pharmacy, died at a house party on Wednesday night.
However, addressing the media on the incident, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Simon Ortunaya, clarified that 10 students of the university attended the party, which they organised to celebrate a friend who had completed his final-year examination.
He said: “Unfortunately, four of them died after consuming substances suspected to be alcohol and drugs. The remaining six students are currently at various stages of recuperation in the hospital.”
The vice-chancellor consequently declared three days of mourning for the deceased students, during which all social and academic activities would be suspended.
He also suspended a town hall meeting earlier scheduled between the university community and the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah.
Describing the incident as “a death too many”, Ortunaya extended his heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the deceased.
“The management, staff and 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,” he added.
He further clarified that the students involved in the incident were from different departments, contrary to widespread reports that they were all from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
The vice-chancellor 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 the university was cooperating with security agencies to establish the actual cause of the students’ deaths.
The cause of the incident had yet to be established at the time of filing this report.
