LASUSTECH student falls to death; colleagues demand probe, justice
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A new student of Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH), Ikorodu, Emmanuel Nweke, died at the weekend after falling off the balcony of his hostel in a distressed private building in which students rent rooms because of non-availability of on-campus accommodation.
The incident occurred at about 4pm at Lasunwon First Gate, a student-populated area.
Nweke, a 100-level mathematics student, reportedly stepped onto the first-floor balcony for fresh air following a prolonged power failure, leaned on the railing, lost balance, and fell, hitting his head on the ground.
The student, who hailed from Anambra, died before his colleagues could rush him to the nearby general hospital.
The entire building was shut down to prevent further incidents and the landlord was immediately taken into custody at the Ikorodu Divisional Police on Sagamu Road, opposite Wema Bank, Ikorodu.
Sadiq Kiakia, a LASUSTECH student and Vice Chairman of the Lagos chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Joint Campus Committee (JCC), accused the school of negligence for failing to provide accommodation, blaming the lack of housing and stable power supply for the death of Nweke.
His words: “Power supply in the area has been a major issue since the beginning of the year, with barely two hours of electricity available daily. The building is already deteriorating, and he tragically passed away before we could get him to the hospital.
“We urgently need proper accommodation within the school. If there was on-campus housing, Nweke wouldn’t have been staying in that building. Over 20 students lived there, and he (Nweke) had just paid his rent about two weeks ago. We need the school authorities to take immediate action.”
A statement jointly signed by NANS JCC Lagos Chairman Abdul-Raheem Abdul-Quadri and Public Relations Officer Ridwan Ajayi criticised the school management and the state government for their negligence.
The union demanded justice for Nweke and condemned the school’s poor maintenance and lack of oversight in student accommodation, describing the incident a clear example of the perennial crisis of inadequate and unsafe student housing in LASUSTECH and other tertiary institutions in the state.
“It is deeply concerning that LASUSTECH and the Lagos State Government have failed to provide sufficient on-campus hostel accommodation, forcing students to resort to unsafe and overpriced off-campus options,” the statement said.
“This neglect reflects a severe failure of duty to ensure the welfare and safety of students, and it exacerbates the growing housing crisis within the university community.
“This tragedy is also a reflection of a larger systemic failure in student housing around tertiary institutions in Lagos State.
“With limited or zero affordable and safe on-campus accommodation, students are forced to rely on substandard and overpriced off-campus alternatives, many of which fail to meet basic safety standards.”
The students demanded:
- A comprehensive structural audit of all off-campus hostels around LASUSTECH to identify and shut down unsafe ones.
- Immediate action taken by the government against landlords and hostel operators violating building regulations.
- Justice for Nweke.
- Holding the hostel management accountable for the negligence that led to his death.
“The Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Housing must establish and enforce a minimum safety standard for all student accommodation. Regular safety inspections of private hostels must be conducted to prevent future avoidable tragedies.
“The Lagos State Government and LASUSTECH must take immediate steps to provide affordable, safe, and purpose-built hostel accommodation on campus for students.
“Compensation and support for Emmanuel Nweke’s family: The hostel operators must take full responsibility for this incident, and legal action must be taken against all responsible parties.”
The union hoped that Nweke’s death would “mark a turning point in the fight for safe and affordable student housing.”
LASUSTECH Dean of Student Affairs Ademola Aderogba confirmed the incident and said the management is “on top of the situation.”
He explained that the lack of student accommodation is beyond the school’s control but assured that the government is already working on a solution.
“It was only three years ago that the state government began introducing hostels within the school premises,” he added.
“The initiative has already started at Lagos State University [LASU], Ojo, through a Public-Private Partnership, with LASU being used as a model for other state-owned institutions. However, the project has yet to commence at our school.”
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