500-Level Covenant University Student Dies After Alleged Prayer in Place of Oxygen
Students of Covenant University have alleged that the institution’s medical centre failed to provide urgent medical support, instead resorting to prayers, leading to the death of a 500-level student, Toluwase Jesutunmise Emmanuel.
According to students’ accounts, the 500-level Building Technology student was playing in a Chancellor’s Cup football match between Computer Engineering and Building Technology when he reportedly began to feel weak and short of breath, prompting him to request an early substitution.
Witnesses claimed that his condition deteriorated further by half-time, after which he was rushed to the university’s medical centre. However, some students alleged that he was not placed on oxygen or given immediate respiratory support despite struggling to breathe.
They further alleged that prayers were conducted in an attempt to revive him, with claims that senior figures within the institution including Bishop David Oyedepo were present during the prayer session.
But the institution in a statement on Wednesday, denied the allegations. The statement, signed by the Vice-Chancellor, Timothy A. Anake, maintained that the student was brought to the medical centre without signs of life.
The university stated that Jesutunmise had stepped out of the game after complaining of leg pain and fatigue, and was rushed to the emergency unit after he was observed gasping for breath. It added that he had already stopped breathing upon arrival.
According to the statement, medical personnel immediately administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) using an automated external defibrillator (AED), but all efforts to revive him proved unsuccessful. The institution attributed his death to a previously undisclosed heart condition.
The management insisted that there was no negligence on the part of its medical staff and no shortage of required equipment for treatment.
“The management of the University was at the Medical Centre from the time of the unfortunate event until the parents arrived, and remained with the family,” the statement read.
The institution also extended condolences to the bereaved family, describing the late student as “diligent and vibrant,” and noting that his death was a loss not only to the university community but to society at large.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
