There is confusion in Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) after some 13 students reportedly died of a rare disease in a few weeks.
ESUT is located in Agbani, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State, South East Nigeria.
It is owned by the Enugu State Government.
Some students confirmed to Newslodge that several of their classmates have passed away in recent times, but they were not sure of the disease responsible for their deaths.
“We do not know the cause of the deaths. Even some people I asked said they didn’t know either,” Ekene Nnamani, a mass communication graduate student at the institution, told Newslodge.
“Many have died (of the rare disease),” he added.
A 400-level law student at the institution said that at least 13 people have recently died from the rare disease.
“One of the people (victims) was a girl from our hotel who died recently. She died at ESUT Teaching Hospital Enugu, where she was transferred,” the student said.
‘Close ESUT now’
Reacting to the mysterious deaths on campus, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) South East Area called on the institution’s management to close the school immediately to save lives.
In a Wednesday statement from its regional coordinator, Chidi Nzekwe, NANS said it was concerned about the frequent deaths of students at the university.
“Our investigations have shown a high level of neglect by school administration, including non-functioning student clinics, which is a major factor in the unfortunate deaths of our students,” the group said.
“In light of these disturbing findings, the leadership of NAN Zona F has made the decision to order the immediate closure of the institution starting tomorrow, August 24, 2023, until further notice.
“This action is necessary to hold extensive meetings with relevant stakeholders, including university management, medical experts, security agencies and student representatives,” it added.
University authority reacts
The dean of the institution’s Department of Student Affairs, Jude Udenta, in a statement on Thursday condemned the student union for calling for the closure of the school.
Professor Udenta said that contrary to speculation, only five students have been confirmed dead.
The dean said it was “unfortunate and distressing” that the institution had been pressured to publicly discuss the “circumstances of the deaths of our beloved students.”
He said that contrary to speculation that all the victims died of a rare disease, one of the students, who died last weekend, was killed in a motorcycle accident.
He explained that among the deceased students, he was the only student who died on the university campus.
“The case of two young ESUT students who died somewhere in a hostel in the city of Enugu is still under investigation. What could we have done to stop the tragedy?
“In the meantime, we immediately had the information, we held meetings with our security committee on these issues. We asked them to sensitize all off-campus students about generator use and other risk factors,” Udenta said.
“In the two remaining cases that are still under investigation, it is said that they died from certain undisclosed ailments that they tried to cure in the city through self-medication,” it added.
The dean said the university authority has asked pastors to pray for divine intervention to “put an end to such tragedies” on campus.
Enugu government orders investigation
Meanwhile, the Enugu state government has ordered an investigation into the deaths at the university.
A state government delegation headed by the Secretary of State Government (SSG), Chidiebere Onyia, made it known during a visit to the institution on Friday.
Onyia, a professor, said the government decided to go beyond an earlier directive to State Health Commissioner Emmanuel Obi to investigate the institution and its medical facilities, out of genuine concern for the well-being of students.
“The governor is concerned and has asked us to come here for a preliminary fact-finding mission of what we have read on social media, and some of them have also reached out to us directly regarding concerns they have about the medical situation. facilities.
“He has asked us to find out what is happening with the state of the facilities and the veracity of some comments made on social networks through NANS. Therefore, we have decided as a government to visit the country to make sure that we are open to receive information from students and citizens in general,” said the SSG.
For his part, the state health commissioner, Professor Obi, said the reports of deaths at the university have not yet been verified.
The commissioner stressed that his team at the Ministry of Health launched an “investigative operation” immediately after obtaining information about the strange deaths.
“The moment the information came in, we started by dispatching the Nkanu West local government disease surveillance and reporting officer, of which Agbani is one. The official investigated and informed the ministry, and the ministry also conducted its own preliminary investigation.
“At this time, the report is that we still have independent cases of unrelated deaths that have included students from ESUT as a university,” he said.
The vice-rector of the institution, Aloysius Okolie, also stated that the “false news” was spread by some students who had lost the elections held on July 17 and wanted to blackmail the university.
Professor Okolie, however, admitted that some students and non-students outside the university environment died as a result of “various factors” such as accidents and terminal illness, among others.
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“We had to track the deaths. Previously, we had a case of two deaths, and we are aware of what happened in an external campus of GRA, ESUT Medical School, where a lady and her boyfriend were in a room and one of them died and the other survived. The rector said that as soon as they finish the autopsy, the report will be on my desk.
“The one the registrar also reported to me was said to have died somewhere in Abia State and had been absent for three months. We contacted the family, wrote a condolence letter and approved the sum of 100,000 naira for the family,” she said.
“Then there was a former member of the National Youth Service Corps who reported from the Southwest and left because she was sick, and three months later, she died. We send you our letter of condolence and a sum of money.
“The other one that happened was an accident in Enugu. The student went to church in Enugu and had an accident on the way back and died. Another lady who had been battling a terminal illness, anemia, passed away and we saw it on social networks,” added the vice chancellor.
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