The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Professor Simon Ortuanya, says the institution is awaiting the outcome of investigations into the deaths of four people following an off-campus party in Nsukka. Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Thursday, Ortuanya said 10 students attended the gathering organised to celebrate a friend who had completed his final-year examinations, while six others were receiving treatment in hospitals.
Ortuanya cautioned against treating reports of alcohol and drug consumption as the confirmed cause of death, saying scientific findings were still needed. “Those reports are not yet supported by science, in terms of autopsy, in terms of investigation into the actual cause of death,” he said, adding that the university was cooperating with security agencies to establish what happened.
He said preliminary reports had suggested the presence of alcohol containers and drug-related paraphernalia at the gathering, but stressed that the university was not yet in a position to reach a conclusion. “We are not conclusive on those matters,” he said, noting that investigations would determine what led to the tragedy.
Giving an update on the survivors, Ortuanya said they were recovering at different rates. He disclosed that one of the party’s organisers had regained consciousness and was responding to treatment, while medical examinations were being conducted on the others. He said the university hoped those recovering would eventually be able to explain the circumstances surrounding their friends’ deaths.
Describing the loss, the Vice-Chancellor said: “The life of those young boys and young girls are never going to come back. That is why the loss is indeed irreparable.” He consequently declared three days of mourning across the university, during which academic and social activities would be suspended.
The university also postponed a town hall meeting scheduled with Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah. Ortuanya said the decision formed part of the institution’s response to the tragedy and its mourning of the deceased.
On measures to prevent similar incidents, the Vice-Chancellor said the university had stopped sign-out celebrations on its campuses. However, he acknowledged the limits of its authority over gatherings held outside university premises. “We don’t really have control over what people do in their private home,” he said.
He added that the university could not ignore incidents involving its students simply because they occurred off campus. “They are human beings, they are our students,” he said, explaining that those involved came from different departments and faculties, contrary to reports suggesting they were all Pharmacy students.
Ortuanya reiterated the university’s ban on sign-out celebrations and said it would continue working with security agencies to establish the cause of the deaths.
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