Tragedy struck at the University of Jos community on Monday following the death of a 200-level student of Marketing, Mercy Naan, and the son of the institution’s vice-chancellor, Shitnaan Maimako.
While sources said the UNIJOS student might have committed suicide after her boyfriend allegedly broke up with her, the cause of the death of the vice-chancellor’s son, who was a student of Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, was unknown.
A source close to the family said it might be due to intake of some prohibited substances.
The source refused to give further details, saying the VC had decided not to speak about it.
When contacted, the spokesperson for UNIJOS, Abdullahi Abdullahi, confirmed to PUNCH Metro the death of the VC’s son.
“All I can tell you is that the son of the VC died last (Sunday) night in Jos. I am not a medical doctor and I cannot say what killed him,” he said.
Sympathisers were said to have besieged the house of the UNIJOS VC, Prof. Sebastian Maimako.
The spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command, Matthias Tyopev, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, also declined comment on the death of the VC’s son.
He, however, told our correspondent that the UNIJOS student was found dead in her room.
Tyopev said, “On May 5, 2019 around 3.30pm, the Angwan Rogo Police Division received a distress call from the Security Department, University of Jos, that on the same date around 3pm, some students of the institution raised the alarm over an odour from Room 23 (Zion Hostel) in Naraguta, University of Jos.
“After the report, a combined team comprising the police, the university security and medical personnel mobilised to the scene of the incident. On arrival, the suspected hostel door was forced open and the motionless body of one Mercy Naan, a 23-year-old 200-level student of the Department of Marketing was seen and recovered.
“She was confirmed dead by a medical doctor on duty at the university clinic and her corpse was deposited in the Anatomy Mortuary of the university for autopsy.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that Mercy was reported missing by her parents to the Security Department, University of Jos, on May 3, 2019. Meanwhile, detectives of the command have commenced investigation to unravel the mystery behind her death.”
Copyright PUNCH.
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