Professor Carol Chinyelugo Arinze-Umobi, Acting Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka on Friday, announced an eight-member committee to investigate the circumstances leading to the death of a 100-level student of the university, living at the Elmelda hostel, located within the university vicinity.
The deceased student, Miss Isabella Ajana, a student of the Faculty of Law, reportedly died on Wednesday, after she lost the keys to her hostel room in Block A, and the managers denied her the use of the spare key where she kept her insulin medication.
The development had thrown the university community into rage, as the students are alleging negligence on the part of the hostel management, accusing them of not looking into the deceased’s peculiar case, and instead, insisting that the rules on loss of keys be applied strictly.
A source at UNIZIK, who spoke to our correspondent, said, “Isabella died simply because of the weird policy at Emelda hostel whereby if you lose your key, you will have to pay handsomely for you to be given the spare key.
“But Isabella’s case was different for medical reasons. She was diabetic. And it was said that the door key has the jam and lock feature. Either she misplaced her key or forgot it inside the room.
“The lady manager of the hostel refused to give her the spare key to open the door, insisting that she must follow the protocol of paying a penalty of N40,000 (Forty Thousand Naira).
“For three days, she was refused access to her room simply because the hostel manager said she was careless. She was asking for the keys to have access to her drugs, as she is dependent on insulin. Yet, they refused. She was kept away from her drugs for three days.
“She eventually collapsed and was rushed to UNIZIK Medical Centre. At the hospital, her condition became very critical. She then lapsed into hypoglycemic shock. A few days later, on Wednesday, she passed away.”
Another student recalled how the young Isabella was full of life, getting ready to be called to the Law Students Association Bar next week.
“She was excited about, dallying and gossiping about her dress. She was someone’s daughter, someone’s sister. Now, she is gone just because of negligence and lack of emotional intelligence by hostel officials,” the student lamented.
In a statement on Friday, the acting Director, Information and Public Relations/ Protocols, Louis Njelita, said the acting VC of the university, Prof Umeobi has set up the investigative committee, with a charge to deliver their findings within seven days.
The committee will be chaired by Prof. Mike Oddih, while the Secretary is Ogo Okolo.
Other members include Prof. Okey Charles Ogu, Prof. Richard Uwakwe, Rev. Fr. Prof. Ken Oraegbunam, Prof. Tracie Uto-Ezeajughi, Barr. Philomena Okoye, and the SUG President Eze Samuel.
“The committee is tasked with uncovering the circumstances leading to the student’s death, scrutinizing the operations of Emelda Hostel Management, providing actionable recommendations to the Acting Vice-Chancellor, and submitting findings within seven days,” Njelita noted.
While acknowledging the anxiety and uncertainty the incident had caused, the UNIZIK spokesperson said the university’s primary concern is the safety and well-being of its students.
He assured that the institution is committed to transparency in the investigation and will keep the university community and the public informed and properly updated on the progress and outcome as soon as possible.
“However, the university is beaming its searchlight on the operation, management, security, and the welfare of students living at Elmelda, a privately-owned and managed hostel within the university’s vicinity.
“In the meantime, we urge everyone to remain calm and avoid any actions likely to cause breach of peace,” he pleaded.
