OAU Student Reportedly Slumps, Dies During Football Match

A 300 level Microbiology student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, reportedly slumped and died during a football match between fresh students of the department and others.

The student, Omotola Akorede Kayode, according to fellow students died at the institution’s health centre after he slumped during a football match but the management of the institution on Saturday disagreed over the circumstances surrounding his death.

While the students insisted that he died at the health centre, the school management said he was brought in dead.

Some students who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said that Omotola would have survived but for the poor services at the institution’s health centre.

A classmate of the deceased, who simply identified himself as Victor, explained that barely 20 minutes into the football match held at OAU Sports Complex on Friday, Omotola suddenly started experiencing difficulty in breathing.

Victor said, “The match started around 9:15am. There was no physical contact between him and another player. He just slumped. He was quickly rushed to the OAU health centre. He gave up the ‘ghost’ about four minutes after he was rushed there.

“The insinuation that Omotola died before getting to the health centre was incorrect. He was even given something like a drip. He wasn’t attended to properly, he needed oxygen at that particular moment, but I think that was not available.”

However, the management of the university, in a release by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Abiodun Olarewaju, announced that “one of our students, a part 3 student in the Department of Microbiology, OMOTOLA, Akorede Kayode, died suddenly on Friday, 17th of May, 2019.”

Olanrewaju explained that the student was playing football with his colleagues when he suddenly slumped.

The statement reads, “He was subsequently rushed to the University Health Centre where he was confirmed dead on arrival. All measures to resuscitate him proved abortive.

“The management hereby commiserates with the parents, family, classmates, colleagues and the entire University Community over this irreparable loss.”