The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) has suspended academic and social activities for three days following the deaths of four students at an off-campus sign-out party in Enugu State.
The university also said six other students who attended the gathering were receiving treatment at different hospitals after falling ill during the celebration at Hilltop Lodge, Nsukka, on Wednesday.
Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, announced the mourning period in a statement posted on the institution’s Facebook page on Thursday, describing the incident as “a death too many”.
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“Within these three days, all social and academic activities will be suspended in the University,” he said.
The university said 10 students from different departments attended the gathering, which was organised to celebrate a friend who had completed his final-year examinations.
It added that the four victims reportedly died after consuming substances suspected to be alcohol and drugs. However, the actual cause of the deaths is yet to be established.
The Enugu State Police Command confirmed the incident, saying the victims comprised two males and two females who reportedly took ill after allegedly consuming alcoholic beverages at the gathering.
Police spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said the four were confirmed dead on arrival at the hospital, while six others were rushed to hospital for treatment.
The command said alcoholic beverages were recovered from the scene and the bodies deposited in a mortuary for autopsy.
It added that an investigation had been launched to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The university management said it was working with security agencies to establish the cause of the incident and identify all those involved.
It also dismissed reports that all the victims were students of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
The Pharmaceutical Association of Nigerian Students, UNN chapter, had earlier rejected claims that seven pharmacy students died during the incident.
The association’s President, Olisaemeka Onah, said he visited Faith Foundation Hospital, where the bodies of the four victims were deposited, but did not recognise any of them as pharmacy students.
“I personally viewed the deceased, and I can confirm that I did not recognise any of them as a pharmacy student,” he said.
The association also urged the public to avoid spreading unverified information about the victims’ identities.
The university management reiterated its ban on sign-out celebrations, advising students to treat the completion of their studies as a period for reflection rather than wild celebrations.
It also suspended a planned town hall meeting between the university community and the Enugu State Governor.
The institution expressed condolences to the families of the deceased, saying its management, staff and students shared in their grief.
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