The Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, has been shut down by the school’s management following the school clinic and medical equipment set ablaze by angry students who were protesting the death of one of their colleagues.
Sheu, a Higher National Diploma I student, had slumped in the PLT examination hall on Friday around 4:00pm before his colleagues rushed him to the school clinic and he later died at a private hospital.
Angered by the death of Sheu, at the private hospital, where he was later taken to, the students, on Saturday, stormed the school clinic and burnt some equipment including the school’s ambulance.
But for timely intervention of the school’s security agents, the rampaging students would have torched the whole health centre.
According to them, their colleague wouldn’t have died if the staff of the school clinic had not left their duty post.
They alleged that the health staff of the school usually leave their duty early every Friday.
Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone on Saturday, Sheu’s classmate, who simply identified herself as Blessing, said the deceased was not attended to when he was rushed to the centre.
She said he was later rushed to another hospital, Ogo Oluwa hospital outside the campus where he died few minutes later.
Sheu was said to have been observing the ongoing Ramadan fast before he suddenly lost balance after submitting his paper to invigilators at the PLT examination hall.
Speaking on the development, the polytechnic’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Tope Abiola, said Sheu was rushed to the school’s clinic at about 4:30pm, but denied that there was no medical personnel to attend to the late student.
He said Sheu was admitted into the clinic and medical personnel on duty made frantic efforts to resuscitate him but to no avail.
Abiola told our correspondent on the telephone that Sheu was immediately referred to another hospital in the polytechnic town in order to get more hands from other medical personnel.
“Unfortunately, Sheu gave up the ghost few minutes later at Ogo Oluwa hospital where he was taken to in the school ambulance”, Abiola said.
Abiola said that the deceased was observing the Ramadan fasting and that he might have slumped due to loss of strength.
The Public Relations Officer said Sheu had been buried on Friday evening in his hometown, Oba’agun.
He therefore condoled the deceased’s family and prayed that God will comfort them.
“It’s very shocking to us that the institution would lose such a precious soul. He slumped shortly after writing his examination in the hall and he was immediately rushed to the school’s clinic.
” Our medical personnel were on duty and they made efforts to resuscitate him. He was later taken to another hospital in the school’s ambulance but we lost him in that hospital. He was a Muslim and he was observing the Ramadan fasting. He would have slumped due to loss of stamina. He was buried this (Friday) evening in his hometown, Oba’agun, community close to Iree.”
“We sympathise with his family and we pray to God to console them,” Abiola said.
However, to forestall further breakdown of law and order on campus, the school management ordered the immediate closure of the campus and asked students to vacate the premises.
A statement issued by Mr. Abiola on behalf of the school Registrar on Saturday reads, “this is to inform the general public that Osun State Polytechnic Iree has been closed down. As a result of this, all students are to vacate the school premises with immediate effect.”
Recall that the school management had on Friday night announced the postponement of the ongoing examination saying the attempt was to honour the deceased student.
