The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called for an independent investigation into the death of Miss Grace Osunlakin, a final-year student of Osun State University (UNIOSUN), alleging negligence and inadequate healthcare facilities at the institution.
However, the university has dismissed claims circulating on social media that the student died due to failures at its health centre, insisting that she was never taken to the institution’s medical facility on the night of the incident.
In a statement signed by the University’s Public Relations Officer, Ademola Adesoji, UNIOSUN said Grace Osunlakin, a final-year student of the Department of Criminology and Security Studies at the Ifetedo Campus, successfully defended her final-year project on June 23, 2026, before returning to her off-campus residence without showing any signs of illness.
The university disclosed that Osunlakin, who had a documented history of asthma since her first year, later complained of stomach pain after returning from a Christian fellowship. According to the institution, she was assisted by her housemate after becoming distressed in the bathroom.
UNIOSUN stated that efforts to transport her to a medical facility were hampered by an unannounced Oro festival in the Ifetedo community, which restricted movement at night. The university said she was eventually taken on a motorcycle to the Community Health Centre in Ikija, where she reportedly lost consciousness and was later confirmed dead.
The management maintained that the student was never taken to the University Health Centre during the emergency and that subsequent confirmation of her death was carried out at Goshen Specialist Hospital, Ondo, before her remains were deposited at the Divine Haven Funeral Home.
While expressing condolences to the deceased’s family, friends and colleagues, the university reiterated that claims linking her death to the institution’s health facility were inaccurate and assured that further reviews into the circumstances surrounding the incident would continue.
Meanwhile, NANS President, Comrade Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, described the student’s death as avoidable and alleged that deficiencies in the university’s healthcare system contributed to the tragedy.
In a statement, Akinteye claimed that the university health centre lacked adequate drugs, equipment and facilities needed to provide emergency medical care, arguing that students deserve access to functional healthcare services as part of the fees they pay.
He condemned what he described as negligence and called on the university management to accept responsibility, publicly address the incident, engage with the deceased’s family and conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
NANS also urged the university to immediately upgrade healthcare facilities at the Ifetedo Campus and called for the temporary closure of the campus until adequate medical infrastructure and emergency response mechanisms are put in place to safeguard students.
The association maintained that no student should lose their life due to inadequate healthcare services within an educational institution.
The death of Miss Grace Osunlakin has generated widespread reactions among students and the public, with stakeholders calling for a comprehensive investigation to establish the facts surrounding the incident.
While NANS insists that lapses in healthcare contributed to the tragedy, UNIOSUN maintains that the student was never brought to its medical centre on the night of her death and has rejected contrary claims circulating online.
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