Photo: Ondo Gov Lucky Ayedatiwa
Two undergraduates of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, have lost their lives after a swimming pool incident at a hotel where newly admitted students were holding a matriculation party.
The Ondo State Police Command confirmed the development in a statement issued on Tuesday by its spokesperson, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, who identified the deceased as Oludere Opeyemi, 22, and Adegbola Blessing, 19.
According to the police, the tragedy began on the evening of January 29 when Blessing was discovered unconscious in the hotel’s pool at about 8:00 p.m. The pool manager reportedly pulled the student out and administered first aid, after which the victim regained consciousness and was able to stand. Friends later took the student home.
However, shortly after that rescue, another student — Opeyemi — was found unresponsive in the same pool. He was immediately evacuated to the State Hospital in Ikare-Akoko, where medical personnel confirmed him dead on arrival.
Police operatives were alerted and moved to the location that same night to commence preliminary inquiries. Both the hotel manager, Ayomide Badejo, and the pool manager were invited for questioning as part of the investigation.
The situation worsened in the early hours of January 30 when police received a report that Blessing, who had earlier been revived and taken home, had also died.
Following the deaths, authorities transferred the case to the command’s Monitoring Unit for a more detailed and discreet investigation. The bodies of the two students have been deposited at the State Hospital, Ikare-Akoko morgue for autopsy, while police say further findings are expected as inquiries continue.
