The Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State, has clarified that the man who reportedly died by suicide in Emure-Ile community, Owo Local Government Area, was not a student of the institution.

The deceased, identified as Audi Emmanuel, was found hanging in his room off campus on Monday.

Although initial reports described the 20-year-old as a Computer Engineering student of the state-owned polytechnic, the institution said his name does not appear in the records of any department.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Senior Assistant Registrar, Public Relations and Protocol, Mr Olumide Olugosi, stated that Emmanuel was never a registered student of the institution.

“The management of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo (RUGIPO), expresses sympathy over the reported death of a young man, Audi Emmanuel, in Emure-Ile, Owo Local Government Area, who was wrongly identified in some reports as a student of the polytechnic.

“The institution states unequivocally that there is no record of any student bearing the name Audi Emmanuel in the Department of Computer Engineering Technology or in any other department, including the Continuing Education Centre,” the statement partly read.

The institution, however, noted that an individual with a similar name had previously been offered admission but did not complete the programme.

“Further checks indicate that one Audu Emmanuel was offered admission into the polytechnic to study Computer Science (National Diploma) during the 2024/2025 academic session.

“Available records show that the individual did not complete his academic programme, having failed to sit for institutional examinations, and is therefore not recognised as an active or bona fide student of the institution,” the statement added.

The polytechnic stressed that portraying the deceased as a student of the institution is inaccurate and misleading, warning that such claims could create a wrong impression about the school.

While commiserating with the family of the deceased, the management urged the public to refrain from spreading unverified information, especially in light of discrepancies surrounding the individual’s identity and status. (The PUNCH)