The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State, has confirmed the deaths of four students following an off-campus gathering in the university community and declared three days of mourning in their honour.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon Ortuanya, announced this in a statement published on the university’s Facebook page on Thursday, November 12, 2026. He also disclosed that six other students who attended the gathering were receiving treatment at different hospitals.
According to the statement, 10 students from different departments attended a party organised to celebrate a friend who had completed his final-year examinations. The four deceased students reportedly died after consuming substances suspected to be alcohol and drugs.
Describing the incident as “a death too many”, Ortuanya announced that all social and academic activities would be suspended across the university for the three days of mourning.
“The Management, staff and the students of the University of Nigeria share in their grief at this difficult moment and pray for the repose of the souls of the departed,” the statement said.
The university also clarified that the students involved came from different departments, dismissing reports that all the victims were members of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
The incident reportedly occurred at an off-campus lodge in the Hilltop area of Nsukka, where four people were found dead after the gathering. Videos circulating on social media showed several individuals lying motionless inside a room.
The Pharmaceutical Association of Nigerian Students (PANS), UNN chapter, had earlier dismissed reports that seven Pharmacy students died in the incident, saying there was no confirmed information linking any Pharmacy student to the deaths.
The association’s president, Onah Olisaemeka, said he visited Faith Foundation Hospital, where the bodies of four people — two males and two females — had been deposited. He added that he did not recognise any of the deceased as a Pharmacy student.
UNN management said it was working with security agencies to establish the actual circumstances and cause of the deaths.
The university also reiterated its ban on sign-out celebrations, advising students to regard the completion of their studies as a time for reflection rather than excessive celebrations.
In addition, the management announced the suspension of a planned town hall meeting between the university community and the Enugu State Governor.
