The Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in Osun State on Monday provided a detailed insight on how a student of the Department of English, Opeyemi Grace Dara, committed suicide after the consumption of a lethal substance popularly known as sniper.
The institution said she took the substance twice, but however, clarified that the suicide was not caused by poor academic performance.
A statement issued by the Spokesperson of OAU, Abiodun Olanrewaju, in Abuja commiserated with the family of the deceased, colleagues, friends and well-wishers.
According to him, Dara who resided off-campus, allegedly first took the sniper on April 22, 2019. He said, “the security unit of the University, on getting the information, went to her house, took her first to the University Health Centre where she was referred to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex.”
Olanrewaju said, “She was treated and discharged home to her parents. She was said to have been brought in by the parents and readmitted at the Intensive Care Unit of the OAUTHC last Thursday, August 1 after another dose of sniper, and she, unfortunately, died the next day. There are indications that she had an underlying medical condition.
“Miss Dara is on a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 2.68 which qualified her, at least, to be an average student on a 2 – 2 class of grade. It is, therefore, our firm belief that a student who was on Second Class ((Lower Division) cannot be said to be poor academically, talk less of committing suicide because of such.
“In actual fact, Opeyemi Dara did not have any outstanding course except her project which she was yet to submit. The project couldn’t have been a challenge to her because she had authored two books – ‘Heels on Steel’ (a play) and ‘Let Me Run Mad Today’, (a poem) both published by the Words Rhymes and Rhythm Limited.
“Opeyemi Dara was admitted to the University in the 2014/2015 academic session and her graduating year result (2017/2018) indicate that she had passed all the departmental courses except, Research Method and Project (EGL 420).
“She had not submitted any essay for grading which is understandable by virtue of her encounter of April 22 and the fact that she had not reported in the University since then.
“The Obafemi Awolowo University has a very robust student advisory system which has been in place for decades, and the university has the highest number of dedicated Guidance Counsellors of any university in Nigeria.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede has appealed to all staff and students of the University to take advantage of the mechanisms put in place by the University administration in addressing all academic, social, medical and other challenges.
“All youths are advised never to see suicide as an option since tough times do not last but are only passing phases in the lives of all mortals.”