Tragedy struck on Thursday at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, around the entrance gate of the institution when a final-year student of the school lost her life after being crushed to death by a reckless driver of a Lexus car on her way to submit her final-year project.

The deceased, Esu Rita Ema, with Matriculation Number FRM/2019/041, a final-year student of the Department of Foreign Languages, was knocked down and killed by a Lexus car with Abuja Registration Number ABJ 427 LQ driven by one Lasisi Sodiq Segun on this ill-fated day.

As a result of the sad development, the entire university is now in a mournful mood as students, lecturers, and all other workers of the institution wept, sobbed, and mourned to sympathise with the departed soul and her bereaved family members.

Meanwhile, the management of the university, in a statement by the school public relations officer, Mr Biodun Olanrewaju, said, “The entire Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has been thrown into mourning as a final-year student of the Department of Foreign Languages was killed by a very reckless driver.”

According to him, “the student, identified as ESU RITA EMA with Matriculation Number FRM/2019/041, was knocked down and killed by a Lexus car with Abuja Registration Number ABJ 427 LQ driven by one Lasisi Sodiq Segun.”

“The student, who was said to be coming to the campus to submit her final year project to her supervisor, was crossing the Ife-IIbadan axis of the road at the campus gate when the accident happened.”

“The members of the Federal Road Safety Corps came to recover the corpse of the student and deposited it at the mortuary of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex at about 12:35 p.m., while the officers of the Nigerian Police arrested the driver for investigation and further necessary action,” he added.

The spokesperson, however, hinted that the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, has sent a condolence message to the parents of the deceased through the Dean of Students Affairs, Professor Adeolu Odedire.

The statement stated that Professor Bamire, who was visibly devastated, said, “If it is very sad to lose a domestic animal, how can anyone quantify the loss of a child, most especially a grown-up child who was a young, promising adult with a lot of potential?”. A final-year student, for that matter.”

He, therefore, appealed to the parents, siblings, family, friends, and classmates to take solace in God, adding that “the Lord will give us all the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss”. (Nigerian Tribune)

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