Protest as final year student of BIU slumps, dies in Benin

Students on the Legacy Campus of Benson Idahosa University, Benin City in Edo State, yesterday, protested after a final year student of Computer Science identified as Bruno  Ezeonye, said to be 21 years old, slumped and died.

It was gathered that the deceased is the only son and second child of his parents, whose father is from Anambra State and his mother a South African.  The parents were said to be based outside the country.

It was gathered that the deceased collapsed on Monday while playing football on the campus’ football pitch.

Vanguard 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 nothing has been done about it.

“When they eventually responded and needed to refer him to Faith Mediplex Hospital, an affiliate of the institution, located on 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 students, who reportedly protested, yesterday, after vandalising the school’s clinic and security post when the news of the death of Ezeonye filtered were eventually calmed down by the president of the university, Bishop FEB Idahosa.

Repeated calls to the mobile line of the Head, Communication and Brand Strategy Unit of the university, Mr. Temi Esonamunjor for reaction did not yield any fruit as his phone was switched off and the Head, Students’ Services Unit of the university, Awipi Emmanuel, did not pick his calls nor responded to text and Whatssap messages sent to him.

Culled from Vanguard