The management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has confirmed the tragic death of a student enrolled in its Centre for Distance Learning (CDL) programme. The unnamed student was electrocuted while attempting to retrieve a football that had landed inside a fenced compound during a game with fellow students.
According to the university’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olanrewaju, the incident occurred when the student, who was playing with the group for the first time, followed an informal rule that required the player responsible for kicking the ball into the compound to retrieve it. After successfully retrieving and throwing the ball back to his teammates, the student was electrocuted while attempting to climb back over the fence, inadvertently touching a live wire.
Olanrewaju described the incident as deeply unfortunate, noting that the student had been looking forward to joining the university as a full-time student after completing the distance learning programme.
“When his colleagues noticed he hadn’t returned, they went to check and found him convulsing,” he explained. “One of them used a stick to remove the live wire from his hand, and they rushed him to the CDL medical facility. Sadly, he was declared dead on arrival and a second hospital later confirmed his death.”
The Director of the CDL, Professor Femi Koya, has since contacted the student’s parents to inform them of the heartbreaking development.
The university extended its condolences to the family, friends, and academic community, expressing hope that they find the strength to cope with the painful loss.
