Part Time Student Of Obafemi Awolowo University Found Dead In Hostel

A part four student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, studying Law, Oladipo Ige, has allegedly committed suicide in his private hostel on Sunday evening.

Though details about his reasons for killing himself are still sketchy, our correspondent gathered on Wednesday that he suffered depression.

Some of his colleagues who spoke to our correspondent said Ige was a brilliant student and wouldn't have killed himself because of academics.

It was learnt that Ige left a note before reportedly killing himself. His death came barely five days to the final examination of part five students of his faculty.

When our correspondent visited the house where Ige allegedly committed the suicide at Asherifa, an area not far from OAU, the deceased door was locked.

Residents in the apartment refused to give details about Ige's death; they said it has been agreed among them not to speak to anyone on it.

When asked if Ige truly killed himself, one of them responded, "Very likely, one thing that is sure is that Ige is dead."

One of his neighbours, who pleaded anonymity, however confided in our correspondent that the circumstances surrounding Ige's death proved that he killed himself.

"Although he watches movies and listens to hip-hop musics, Ige has always been someone that loves to be alone. He uses the music to console himself. When the incident happened, I learnt a rope was found around his neck, but was not tied to anything in the room except his neck," she said.

Attempts to reach Ige's family for confirmation proved abortive and officials at OAU's Faculty of Law, where Ige studies, said "no information has been received about his death."

His colleagues, however, lamented that Ige's death remained a misery. One of them, identified simply as Ayotola, in a write-up pasted on the faculty's notice board, described his death as shocking.

Ayatola wondered why Ige would have killed himself because of depression, saying, "Dipo, I don't know what went wrong in your head in the last few hours of your life but I am sorry. I am sorry that you saw life as not being worth it. I cannot begin to imagine the fear and hopelessness you felt in the last hour of your life.

"Depression and unworthiness must have had you so deep in their black pit of despair. It breaks my heart the most that there was nobody you could talk to, vent to; nobody to be a lifeline at that time. A phone call could have saved your life."

While confirming that the deceased committed suicide, she said Ige and her dad worked in the same office, adding that she knew Ige since their matriculation day.

"I am really shocked," she said.