THE University of Nigeria, Nsukka, has confirmed the death of four students after an off-campus party and declared three days of mourning in their honour.
Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, announced this in a statement published on the university’s official Facebook page on Thursday.
Ortuanya said six other students who attended the same gathering are currently receiving treatment in different hospitals.
According to the university, 10 students drawn from various departments had gathered at an off-campus lodge at Hilltop, Nsukka, to celebrate a friend who just finished his final year examinations. The four deceased were said to have died after allegedly taking substances suspected to be a mixture of alcohol and drugs.
The VC described the incident as “a death too many” and announced the suspension of all social and academic activities for three days.
“Within these three days, all social and academic activities will be suspended in the University,” he said.
The management condoled with the families of the deceased.
“The Management, staff and the students of the University of Nigeria share in their grief at this difficult moment and pray for the repose of the souls of the departed,” the statement added.
The university clarified that the affected students were from different departments and not all from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences as being speculated on social media.
Earlier, the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigerian Students, PANS, UNN chapter, had debunked reports claiming seven pharmacy students died in the incident. Its President, Comr. Onah Olisaemeka A., said he visited Faith Foundation Hospital where the bodies of four victims – two males and two females – were kept and confirmed he did not recognize any of them as a pharmacy student.
Videos circulating online showed several young people lying motionless inside a room at End in Praise Lodge, Hilltop.
UNN said it is collaborating with security agencies to ascertain the actual cause of death and reminded students that sign-out celebrations remain banned.
It also disclosed that a scheduled town hall meeting between the university community and the Enugu State Governor has been put on hold.
The Enugu State Police Command has launched an investigation into the sudden deaths of four persons reportedly identified as students of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).
The Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, SP Daniel Ndukwe, stated this in a statement to newsmen on Thursday.
He disclosed that the victims “took ill during an alleged academic sign-out celebration at Hilltop Hostel, Nsukka, on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.”
SP Ndukwe explained that “the victims, comprising two males and two females, reportedly took ill after allegedly consuming alcoholic beverages at the gathering.”
According to him, “six other students were also rushed to the hospital for treatment, while the four victims were confirmed dead on arrival.”
“Alcoholic beverages were recovered from the scene, and the remains of the deceased have been deposited in a mortuary for autopsy,” he said.
“The Command is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident to establish the cause of the deaths. Further updates will be communicated as the investigation progresses,” the command stated.
Many students of Nigerian universities have been found to indulge in unhealthy celebrations after their final-year examinations, despite not knowing whether they have passed the examinations or will be required to resit them.
The Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, recently banned final-year students of the institution from holding academic sign-out celebrations within the university’s main campus.
Some parents and guardians have also been found to support such lavish celebrations by their children, even though the students are yet to be certain of their results, as the celebrations do not mark their official graduation.
It is expected that university authorities will take drastic measures to curb the excesses of students and prevent a repeat of the avoidable tragedy that has occurred in the UNN community, as a stitch in time saves nine.