A male student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, lost his life on Thursday after falling from the third floor of a private student lodge near Royal Kitchen Junction in the Ifite-Awka area.
Eyewitnesses said the student may have ingested a harmful substance suspected to be ‘mkpurummiri’ before the tragic incident. According to preliminary reports, the young man fell from the building under unclear circumstances. Efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful, and he was later confirmed dead at a nearby hospital.
Authorities have detained his roommate, who was found in an incoherent state inside their room. The roommate remains under medical supervision and will be questioned by police once his condition stabilizes.
Confirming the incident, UNIZIK’s Chief Safety Officer, Ken Chukwurah, stressed that the university has limited control over student safety in off-campus accommodations. “We are still investigating to determine what happened, how it happened, and to properly identify the victim,” he said.
The tragedy has sparked renewed concerns about the increasing use of hard substances among students and the challenges of regulating activities in privately owned lodges.
This latest incident comes just days after another tragic fall was reported in Ibadan. On Monday, 22-year-old Feranmi Akin-Akinye, a recent graduate of Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), died after falling from the 24th floor of Cocoa House while performing a work-related task.
Sources say Feranmi was mounting a banner when the platform beneath him gave way. He had been undergoing cybersecurity training at a company based on the eighth floor of the building. The fall resulted in his instant death.
Although initial media reports speculated suicide, sources close to the family insist the fall was accidental and have accused the company involved of negligence in ensuring proper safety measures were in place.
