‘OAU student who drank Sniper once attempted suicide’

A student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Grace Opeyemi, who allegedly committed suicide due to poor academic performance, once attempted taking her life before she eventually consumed an insecticide, Sniper, on Friday.

A course mate of the deceased at the Department of English in the institution, who preferred anonymity, told PUNCH Metro on Sunday that early in July, Grace attempted suicide but was unsuccessful.

She, however, did not give details of the failed attempt.

She added that the late student was rushed to the OAU Health Centre on Friday after taking Sniper, but was referred to the Accident and Emergency Unit of the OAU Teaching Hospital, where she died.

Another course mate of the deceased, Adekola Oluwasetan, said Grace was a poet and wrote many poems, especially on depression.

She stated, “I am not particularly close to her. I only knew her through some of her literary works. Most of her works in poem and prose were on depression.

“To me, she acted against what she preached in most of her works. I also do not believe that she died as a result of poor academic results alone.

“Her original course mates graduated last session and she could not, because she failed 12 special electives and five core courses.

“She took the papers again but she failed some of them for the second time; that is the reason I believe that her action was as a result of depression.”

The Public Relations Officer, OAU, Abiodun Olanrewaju, told our correspondent on Sunday that contrary to information in the media that the late student committed suicide because of poor academic performance, findings showed otherwise.

Meanwhile, a statement signed by the class representatives of the English Department, which was issued after a meeting with the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and other top officers of the faculty on Sunday, said the late Grace did not have outstanding courses as of the time of her death.

The statement signed by the part four representatives, Igbecha Chukwuebuka, Ifeoma Nwude and Ruth Olafenwa, read in part, “The Dean, Faculty of Arts and Head of Department, English, summoned the exam officer, the immediate past President, Faculty of Arts Students’ Association, who happens to be the course mate of the deceased, and the incumbent  FASA President, alongside the English part four class representatives to a meeting in the dean’s office this evening.

“A review of her result was done and it was discovered that she didn’t have five outstanding courses, neither did she have outstanding 12 special electives.

“She had 10 units of special electives passed already and she only had LIT 420 (project course) yet to be approved or graded. Only her SER result is still being verified. In fact, she carried no course over until her demise.

“We can then deduce that the deceased, Grace Dara Opeyemi’s death is not to be attributed to poor academic performance.”

A senior management staff of the university, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the content of the statement.