Four Students Die After Post-Exam Party in Southeastern Nigeria

Police and university authorities in southeastern Nigeria have launched an investigation following the deaths of four students after a post-exam celebration in the town of Nsukka. The two men and two women fell ill during an off-campus gathering on Wednesday evening.

The incident occurred at a residence known as Praise Lodge in the Hilltop area outside the University of Nigeria Nsukka campus. According to university Vice-Chancellor Professor Simon Ortuanya, campus security personnel responded to a distress call received at 22:00 on Wednesday. Police spokesman Daniel Ndukwe confirmed that officers recovered alcoholic beverages from the scene and transferred the bodies to a mortuary for autopsies to determine the exact cause of death.

In response to the tragedy, the university administration declared a three-day period of official mourning, during which all academic and social activities across the campus are suspended. Vice-Chancellor Ortuanya also instituted an immediate ban on all sign-out celebrations, traditional events where final-year students gather to mark the completion of their studies.

The preliminary investigation and interim report point to alleged alcohol abuse or drug paraphernalia and things like that, Ortuanya stated, adding that official findings had not yet concluded. He expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and urged students to refrain from unmonitored off-campus parties.

The deaths occur amid heightened scrutiny of illegal and counterfeit alcoholic beverages across Nigeria. National regulator NAFDAC has conducted widespread raids on suspected production facilities following multiple health emergencies linked to toxic substances. In September, contaminated herbal mixtures and locally manufactured alcohol containing lethal levels of methanol caused at least 48 deaths and dozens of hospitalisations in Ondo State.

Written by Andreas Hofer andreas.hofer@alpineweekly.com