UNN declares four students dead, orders three-day mourning

By Alumona Ukwueze NSUKKA —-The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has declared a three-day mourning period following the death of four students in an off-campus party in Nsukka. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Nsukka on Thursday, explaining that 10 students attended the party held on November 11, 2026, to celebrate a friend who had completed his final-year examinations.

According to him, four of the students died after allegedly consuming substances suspected to be alcohol and drugs, while the six others were receiving treatment at different hospitals. As part of measures to honour the deceased, the university management declared three days of mourning, during which all academic and social activities would be suspended.

“Within these three days, all social and academic activities will be suspended in the university,” Ortuanya said. He also announced the postponement of a town hall meeting earlier scheduled between the university community and the Enugu State Governor. Describing the incident as “a death too many”, the vice-chancellor expressed the university’s condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the deceased students.

“The management, staff and students of the University of Nigeria share in their grief at this difficult moment and pray for the repose of the souls of the departed,” he said. Ortuanya clarified that the students involved in the incident came from different departments, dismissing reports that all the victims were students of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

He further reiterated the university’s prohibition of all forms of sign-out celebrations, urging students to avoid activities capable of putting their lives at risk. The vice-chancellor added that the university was working with security agencies to unravel the circumstances surrounding the deaths.