Obafemi Awolowo University Student Electrocuted While Retrieving Ball From Neighbouring Compound
The incident occurred at a private hostel along Moro/Ife Road.
Tragedy struck on Saturday evening in Moro, Osun State, as a student of the Centre for Distance Learning (CDL) at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, was reportedly electrocuted while attempting to retrieve a football from a neighbouring compound.
The incident occurred at a private hostel along Moro/Ife Road.
According to eyewitnesses, the deceased, whose name has not been officially released, had been playing football with fellow students when the ball flew over a fence into an adjacent compound.
Eyewitnesses told PUNCH Online that the student volunteered to retrieve the ball and successfully threw it back to his colleagues.
However, while attempting to scale the fence back into his own compound, he came into contact with a high-tension wire that had reportedly been brought down by a rainstorm the previous day.
“He was immediately electrocuted,” a local resident told PUNCH Online under the condition of anonymity.
“When his colleagues noticed he wasn’t moving, they used a stick to remove the wire from his body. He was rushed to a private hospital in Ipetumodu, where he was confirmed dead.”
The OAU Public Relations Officer, Mr. Abiodun Olanrewaju, confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday.
He described the deceased as a promising young student of the university’s CDL programme who aspired to transition into the main campus programme after completion.
“It is unfortunate that we recorded an incident that was not palatable yesterday, where we lost a prominent youngster,” Olanrewaju said.
“Reports indicate that the student, in a bid to retrieve the ball as per the game’s rules, unknowingly came into contact with a live wire while trying to climb back over the fence.”
Olanrewaju further revealed that the student was new to the group and had just joined the game when the tragic incident occurred.
Efforts to save the young man were futile, as he was declared dead on arrival at the medical facility.
The Director of the Centre for Distance Learning, Professor Femi Koya, has reportedly reached out to the victim’s family to relay the tragic news.
