Man calls out Abuja private varsity over student’s death, petitions police

A man identified as Omolomo has called out Veritas University in Abuja over the death of one of its students, Joshua Eju-Ojo.

Omolomo stated that Eju-Ojo was initially reported by the institution to have died while playing basketball, but his body was found in a gym.

He further revealed that an autopsy showed multiple stab wounds on Eju-Ojo’s body, contradicting the university’s claim.

In a post on X on Wednesday night, Omolomo alleged that the university misled Eju-Ojo’s family about the circumstances of his death and pressured hospital staff to withhold the true cause.

He stated, “When he got to the hospital, the doctor and results found out that he was bullied because, during the autopsy, they found multiple stab wounds on his body.

“Meanwhile, his body was found indoors in a gym, but the university lied to the family and went on to threaten the hospital not to say he was bullied. The school keeps giving the parents a different story.”

Seeking justice for the late student, Omolomo called on the Nigerian Police Force to investigate the incident.

He questioned, “The school has told the parents nobody will listen to them and nothing will happen. Will you allow this to happen? @PoliceNG, please we want justice for Joshua. Why are they trying to silence the hospital and the parents with power and influence?”

Reacting to the allegation, many Nigerians condemned the continuous bullying in schools and sought an end to it.

On X.com, Samzy wrote, “And again! The same relative death of Sylvester Oromoni! Bully bully bully.”

A tweep, KARASCO tweeping as #sdiamond29 wrote, “This bullying thing needs to be stopped in our society.”

On X.com, a tweep, Aunty Kemi of Ibadan/Desire lamented, “This is getting too much in Abuja. Who raised all these children?”

We have no hand in his death – Management

Speaking to our correspondent on Thursday, the university’s Head of Public Affairs, Ben Agande, described the allegations as untrue, stating that the school had no involvement in Eju-Ojo’s death.

Agande explained that there were no visible wounds on Joshua’s body when he died and was deposited in the mortuary.Related News

He said, “I am pained that we have to discuss this boy’s death, not because we missed it, but because certain stories are being spread. As a school, we regret his death deeply and sympathise with his parents. The boy died in his prime. We did everything we could to save him when he slumped. May God console them.

“Let me state that there were no wounds on his body, even though the autopsy result has not been officially released. I don’t know which result they are referring to because Veritas was represented in the team that conducted the autopsy, and they all agreed uniformly that there were no wounds on the boy’s body. So, what wounds are they talking about? I don’t know.

“I don’t want to give credence to something that is patently untrue because the police, who ordered the autopsy, have not released the result. In fact, just yesterday, we formally wrote to the police to release the result after waiting all this while, so that these lies about a non-existent autopsy result would be put to rest.”

Speaking on the allegation of bullying, Agande said it was untrue, noting that the institution has zero tolerance for bullying.

“If he said the boy was wounded, where? How? By whom? Veritas has zero tolerance for bullying of any kind. If any student is caught bullying, the result is automatic expulsion. This boy was not a small person; he was 6 feet 4 inches tall and quite big. So, who would bully that kind of person?

“I don’t know what this man wants to achieve by lying. He slumped at the mini gym where he was exercising and he was not alone. Other students were around, some of whom were his friends. They all gave consistent information about what happened. I can assure you that the university had no hand in his death. None whatsoever,” he added.

The institution had earlier mourned Ejo-Ojo’s death in a statement by Agande while it promised to “cooperate fully with the police, the parents of the deceased, and all relevant authorities to unravel the probable cause of death.”

The prevalence of bullying, often resulting in tragic deaths, has seen a sharp increase in the country, particularly within private schools in Abuja in recent times.

In April, disturbing videos emerged online depicting a female student of Lead British International School being repeatedly slapped by another female student while others watched.

These videos sparked public outrage, with social media users condemning the incident and demanding that school authorities thoroughly investigate and impose appropriate punishments.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education set up a seven-man committee to probe the bullying incident while the school was shut down.

Also in May, PUNCH Online reported that a female student of Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science, and Technology in Ikere Ekiti bullied a fellow student.

Similarly, a 200-level engineering student at Ajayi Crowther University in Oyo State, Alex Timileyi, was beaten for hours before he died.

Timileyi was allegedly clubbed to death by a fellow student who accused him of stealing a mobile phone.

These incidents have prompted an outpouring of shock, anger, and sadness from Nigerians, with many calling for the implementation of an anti-bullying policy in Nigerian schools.