Varsity graduate attempts suicide over withheld results

A graduate of Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, Edo State, identified as Precious Ogbeide, has attempted suicide over the alleged university’s refusal to issue him and several other students their results after they graduated from school in 2018.

Our correspondent learnt that Ogbeide, whose parents claimed he had been battling depression due to his inability to be issued his results after spending five years in the school, started to stab himself with pieces of a bottle he had broken.

Some aggrieved students of the school had lamented the inability to receive their degree results after spending five years undergoing the programme, claiming that the situation had demoralised them.

According to them, they are facing a bleak future as a result of the development.

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PUNCH Metro learnt from the aggrieved students that the tertiary institution had been promising them that the backlog of results would be cleared and students who were yet to be mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps scheme would be settled.

However, a source, who was privy to Monday’s incident, told our correspondent that Ogbeide became frustrated and decided to end his life over the matter.

The source, who craved anonymity, said, “I received a call at about 3:30 pm on Monday that Ogbeinde had been rushed to the hospital. I was told he had been showing signs of depression and that they had tried to help in every possible way they could.

“The mother told me that he just stood up all of a sudden with a bottle and smashed it on the floor. They told me it was a slip. But he started to pierce his neck and body with the pieces of the broken bottle.

“It was the efforts of his relative present at the time of the incident that overpowered him before he was rushed to the hospital where he is currently receiving treatment.

“He said he was tired of everything. He said he had not been able to face his parents and family members after going to school for five years without any result to show for it.

“He could not get a job because they kept asking him to provide his certificate. He said any time he met those who could help him get a job, they would tell him to wait for his result. He was just fed up with the whole thing and became frustrated that his future was on hold.”

Meanwhile, the school, through the Head of Corporate Communications and Protocol, Mike Aladenika, had told PUNCH Metro that the students affected by certificate and result issues might have had issues with some courses during their time in school.

“If you had graduated and done all you were asked to do while you were a student, you would not have problems with your results.

“Some of the students who did not take cognizance of the deficiencies they had with their courses are the ones facing these challenges,” Aladenika stated.