A student of the Obafemi Awolowo University has been confirmed dead after he collapsed while playing football.

Omotola Akorede Kayode, a 300-level student of Microbiology, died on Friday morning after he slumped on a football pitch.

While the University authorities issued a statement saying all efforts to resuscitate the student failed, witnesses told PREMIUM TIMES his death was caused by ‘negligence’ at the University’s health centre.

A statement by the University Registrar, Margaret Omasule, said all medical measures taken to save the student’s life proved abortive.

“We regret to inform the university community that one of our students, a part three student in the Department of Microbiology, Omotola Akorede Kayode, died suddenly this morning, Friday, 17th of May, 2019.

“The report had it that the student was playing football with his colleagues when he suddenly slumped. He was subsequently rushed to the health centre where he was confirmed dead on arrival. All resuscitation measures proved abortive,” she said.

‘Not true’

Students who witnessed the incident told PREMIUM TIMES the victim was not ‘well attended’ to at the health centre.

One of the students who pleaded anonymity because of fear of victimisation told PREMIUM TIMES on Friday that: “Korede collapsed on the pitch; after, he was rushed down to the health centre immediately but he wasn’t given attention.”

Another student, a friend of the deceased also corroborated this.

“Korede slumped on OAU training pitch this morning. We were playing a novelty match. He was playing left back, and he was standing alone when he fell down, nobody touched him, he was standing with his fellow defenders.

“He slumped and started having breathing difficulty. We tried to give him CPR but nobody had much knowledge about it. Just after a few minutes, he was rushed to the health centre immediately in a fellow student’s car.

“He was still alive and fighting to catch his breath when we got to the health centre. He died at the health centre and not before getting there.”

In the victim’s last post on WhatsApp, he waxed philosophical, while commenting on rising suicide cases amongst students.

“See suicide skyrocketing over relationship shots, school results and JAMB results. You all whom this thing seems so important to, should better take heed and talk to people about it- NOTHING IS WORTH DYING FOR,” the post read.

Past incidents

In December 2018, a student, Abiodun Babatola died at the OAU teaching hospital due to alleged negligence after a robbery attack.

A year ago, a final year pharmacy student of OAU, Yusuf Abidoye, also died of abdominal pain.

His close friend, Oluwasanya Akanmu, a 500-Level pharmacy student, recounted how the deceased battled to stay alive.

He blamed Mr Yusuf’s death on the then strike by university health workers who are members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).