By Lucille
The Department of Physics, Faculty of Physical Sciences, has been taken aback by the news of the death of one of its own. What makes it even more heartbreaking is the apparent revelation that the death was a suicide.
Success Osamudiamen, a 300-level student of Industrial Physics, was reported to have taken his own life during the festive season. Stephanie, a final-year student of the department, stated, “I don’t really know much about it, but all we know is that he committed suicide. How he committed suicide, though, or maybe he didn’t do it, we still don’t know till now.”
The details surrounding the death have remained rather vague. Speaking to the President of the National Association of Physics Students (NAPS), Stephen Oladejo, he reiterated the fact that students only heard about the incident on resumption. He personally confirmed the news with the course representative.
“…when I heard about it, I immediately contacted the course rep. And, I heard from an outsider, and the course rep confirmed it to me…”
Asked about meeting with the family, he said, “Yeah, we have tried to establish contact with the family. Actually, using his kofa page, we tried to contact the next of kin. The next of kin he listed was his sister, but when we dialed the number, it was a man that picked up. He claimed to be his uncle.”
We asked Stephen if the family had been forthcoming with information. He said, “No, they haven’t been forthcoming actually. The man (uncle) told me he was out of town, so he said he was going to give my contact to those that were at home, but I didn’t see any result from that. I even called him 24 hours later, but it was still the same promises and no result.”
Continuing, he said the association has been tasked with sensitizing the students about the incident and the importance of speaking out when overwhelmed. The incident, being a rather sad one, has served as a reminder to students and lecturers alike about the frailties of mental health.
Tragic Loss Strikes UNIBEN’s Physics Department: 300-Level Student Succumbs to Apparent Suicide During Festive Season
