Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The last time anyone saw Oluwole Oluwaseun, he was a final-year student of Materials Science and Engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, going about the quiet business of finishing his degree. He had no known history of unusual behaviour. His friends told reporters they had noticed nothing strange. Then, at about 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, the university received an emergency report. Something had happened at an off-campus apartment in the Damico area of Ooni Layout. By the time the university's Quick Response and Security Team arrived, alongside officers from the Moore 'A' Division of the Nigeria Police Force, Oluwaseun was in a critical condition. He was rushed to the University Health Centre. A medical doctor certified him dead.
The university's Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, confirmed the death in a statement issued on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. He said the institution was "deeply concerned by the circumstances surrounding the death" and had handed over relevant information and items recovered from the scene to the police for further investigation. The police have commenced a full inquiry into what happened in that apartment. The university also notified its Student Affairs authorities for necessary follow-up, particularly with respect to the welfare and support of students affected by the incident. The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, extended the management's condolences to the family, friends, classmates and colleagues of the deceased. He urged any student experiencing severe emotional distress, relationship difficulties, financial pressures or other personal challenges to seek help promptly from trusted persons and the appropriate university support structures. "No student should feel that he or she has to confront overwhelming difficulties alone," Bamire said.
The university urged members of its community to remain calm and refrain from spreading unverified information or speculation while the investigation continues. The motive behind the death remains unknown. The police have not disclosed any preliminary findings. The university has not confirmed whether a note was found. The only certainty is that a young man who was weeks away from completing his degree is dead, and the people who knew him are struggling to understand why.
The tragedy is not an isolated one. OAU has recorded a series of student suicides in recent years, each followed by expressions of grief, promises of reform and calls for better mental health support. In August 2025, a 200-level Dentistry student died by suicide shortly after examination results were released. The university subsequently announced plans to roll out mental health programmes for students and disclosed that its health centre offers confidential counselling services. In May 2026, a part-two medical student, Ajibola Ibitayo, reportedly took his own life. In June 2026, the university's Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, told reporters that a student's suicide was not linked to academic failure, a statement that raised as many questions as it answered. Each time, the university has urged students to seek help. Each time, another student has died.
The pattern raises uncomfortable questions about the effectiveness of the support structures that OAU has repeatedly promised to strengthen. Mental health services exist on paper. Counselling is available "upon request." But the students who need help the most are often the ones least likely to ask for it. The stigma surrounding mental illness in Nigeria remains powerful. Many students fear that seeking help will be seen as a sign of weakness, or that it will be reported to their families and damage their reputations. Others simply do not know that help is available, or do not trust the confidentiality of the services provided. The gap between the existence of a service and its accessibility is where lives are lost.
OAU is not alone in facing this crisis. Universities across Nigeria are grappling with the mental health of their students, often with limited resources and little institutional expertise. The pressures on Nigerian students are immense. Academic workloads are heavy. Economic hardship is pervasive, with many students struggling to afford food, accommodation and transportation. The uncertainty of the job market after graduation hangs over every final year like a cloud. Relationships break down. Families place expectations on children who are already struggling to meet their own. And in a country where mental health is still treated as a taboo, the silence can become unbearable.
For the family of Oluwole Oluwaseun, the grief is fresh and the questions are unanswered. They have lost a son, a brother, a friend. The university has offered condolences. The police have opened an investigation. The Vice-Chancellor has reaffirmed his commitment to student welfare. But condolences do not bring back the dead, and investigations do not prevent the next tragedy. If OAU is serious about ensuring that no student has to confront overwhelming difficulties alone, it must do more than issue statements. It must invest in mental health services that students actually use. It must train lecturers and hall porters to recognise the signs of distress. It must create a culture where asking for help is not a sign of weakness but an act of courage. And it must do so before another family receives the call that the Oluwole family received on Tuesday afternoon.
The police investigation is ongoing. The university has urged the public to avoid speculation. For now, all that is known is that a final-year student went into an apartment in the Damico area of Ooni Layout on Tuesday afternoon and never came out alive. The rest is silence, grief, and the familiar promise that something will be done. Whether that promise is kept this time is a question that the next set of final-year students will answer, one way or another.
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