A 21-year-old final year student of Computer Science at Benson Idahosa University, Benin City in Edo State identified as Bruno Chigozie Ezeonye has slumped and died while playing football.
The student, an active footballer died on the pitch on Monday, May 22, 2023.
It was gathered that he was the only son and second child of his parents whose father is from Anambra State and his mother a South African. The parents are said to be based outside the country.
It was gathered that when the deceased collapsed, help did not come on time as the doctors and nurses in the health facility on the campus were said to be “foot-dragging in the face of an emergency condition”, a parent who preferred to be anonymous complained.
According to him, “the Clinic workers have always shown a lackadaisical attitude and this has always been complained to the University authority but did nothing about it.
When they eventually responded and needed to refer him to Faith Mediplex Hospital, an affiliate of the Institution, located at Airport Road, a far distance from the Legacy Campus, they said the ambulance driver complained that there was no petrol in the ambulance. For a school that collects millions of Naira from students?”
The development, according to Vaguard led to a protest by students at the Legacy Campus of the university.
The students who reportedly mobilized to protest on Tuesday morning after vandalizing the school’s clinic and security post when the news of the death of Ezeonye filtered was eventually calmed down by the President of the University, Bishop FEB Idahosa.
Repeated calls to the mobile line of the Head of the Communication and Brand Strategy Unit of the University, Mr Temi Esonamunjor did not succeed as his phone was switched and the Head, the Students’ Services Unit of the University, Awipi Emmanuel did not pick up his calls nor responded to text message and WhatsApp message.
By Temitope Hassan