The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, has confirmed the death of four students following an off-campus graduation celebration, while six others are receiving medical treatment in different hospitals.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at a lodge in the Hilltop area of Nsukka, where 10 students reportedly gathered to celebrate a friend who had completed his final-year examinations.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Simon Ortuanya, confirmed the incident while addressing journalists on Thursday.
He explained that the university received a distress call at about 10 p.m. on Wednesday concerning some students who had reportedly fallen critically ill during the gathering.
According to him, the university immediately mobilised its security personnel to the location, where they discovered that several students were in distress.
Ortuanya said four of the students died, while the remaining six were rushed to different hospitals for medical attention.
He disclosed that preliminary investigations suggested that the victims might have consumed substances suspected to be alcohol and drugs, although the actual circumstances surrounding the incident had yet to be established.
The vice-chancellor described the development as a tragic loss to the university community, expressing sympathy with the families of the deceased students.
He also clarified that the students involved came from different departments, dismissing reports that all the victims were members of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Earlier reports had suggested that the deceased were Pharmacy students. However, the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigerian Students, UNN chapter, dismissed the claims.
The association’s president, Olisaemeka Onah, and Secretary-General, Chibuike Obasi, said they visited Faith Foundation Hospital, where the bodies of four victims, comprising two males and two females, were deposited.
Onah explained that he did not recognise any of the deceased as a Pharmacy student and urged members of the public to avoid spreading unverified information about the incident.
Meanwhile, the Enugu State Police Command confirmed that it had commenced an investigation into the deaths.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said the victims reportedly became ill after allegedly consuming alcoholic beverages at the gathering.
He added that alcoholic beverages were recovered from the scene, while the remains of the deceased were deposited in a mortuary for autopsy to determine the actual cause of death.
Following the incident, the university management declared three days of mourning in honour of the deceased students.
During the mourning period, all academic and social activities were suspended across the institution.
The university also postponed a scheduled town hall meeting between its management and the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah.
Ortuanya reiterated the institution’s position against sign-out celebrations, urging students to avoid activities that could expose them to danger.
He said the university was collaborating with security agencies to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and appealed to members of the university community to remain calm.
The management extended its condolences to the bereaved families, friends and colleagues of the deceased students.
The police investigation is expected to establish the actual cause of the deaths and determine whether any criminal wrongdoing was involved.
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