A
16-year old 100-level student of Microbiology at the Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife, Mercy Afolaranmi, has committed suicide over poor
grades.
According to the school’s Chief Security Officer, Babatunde Oyatokun,
Miss Afolaranmi, poisoned herself. Students and a neighbour close to
the deceased also said she killed herself due to poor grade.
“We got a call that
one of our students took poison,” Mr. Oyatokun said. “We got to hospital
to realise that she mixed rat poison. She gave us the contact of her
parents but before they arrived, she already gave up due to the effect
of the poison she took.”
A neighbour, Bimpe Oni, in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, said Miss
Afolaranmi, who lived off-campus at Sabo area of Ile-Ife, died on Thursday, after she took “rat poison mixed with battery extract.
Mrs.
Oni said the late student committed suicide because of “emotional
pressure.” A student, Aisha, who was Miss Afolaranmi’s colleague in the
Faculty of Science, said the deceased had ‘E’ in CHM101 (Chemistry for
first year students), a reportedly dreaded course for year one students
in the science and technology related faculties.
“Mercy often isolated
herself in class and looked depressed,” said Aisha. “She told me she had
‘E’ in CHM101 and has been going around unhappy before this incident.”
Another student in the Faculty of Student, Opeyemi, said “she took
poison because of result.”
The school’s Dean of Students’ Affairs, Isiaka Aransi, also confirmed
the news. “Although the reason and cause of her death is yet to be
known, the division is aware of the death of Mercy,” she said
Before her death, on October 10, she posted on Facebook that:
“Above all other
things, I just wanna see God, see what He looks like, speak with Him
face to face. I don’t wanna miss heaven. LORD HELP ME.”