Tragedy struck on Thursday in Ile-Ife, Osun State, as the driver of a Toyota Lexus Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) crushed a final year student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) to death some metres away from the main gate of the institution.
The victim, identified as Esu Rita Ema, with matriculation number FRM/2019/041 of the Department of Foreign Languages, was knocked down around 11:45 a.m. while attempting to cross the Ife-Ibadan expressway.
Ms Ema, who was said to be coming to the campus to submit her final year project to her supervisor, was crossing the Ife – Ibadan road axis at the campus gate when the accident happened.
Confirming the incident in a press statement, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the institution, Abiodun Olanrewaju, said, “The entire Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has been thrown into mourning as a result of the tragic incident.”
According to him, the student was knocked down and killed by a Lexus car with Abuja Registration Number ABJ 427 LQ driven by one Lasisi Sodiq Segun.
“The members of the Federal Road Safety Corps came to recover the corpse of the student and deposited same at the mortuary of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC) at about 12:35 pm while the officers of the Nigeria Police have arrested the driver for investigation and further necessary action,” Mr Olanrewaju said.
Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Adebayo Bamire, has sent a condolence message to the parents of the deceased through the Dean, Students Affairs, Adeolu Odedire.
Mr Bamire said: “If it is very sad to lose a domestic animal, how can anyone quantify the loss of a child, most especially a grown-up child who was a young, promising adult with a lot of potential. A final year student, for that matter.”
He appealed to the parents, siblings, family, friends and classmates to take solace in God, adding that “the Lord will give us all the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”
