300-level FUO Student Dies Of Drug Overdose In Bayelsa

A 300-level student of Petroleum and Gas Engineering at the Federal University, Otuoke (FUO) in Bayelsa State, has reportedly died from drug overdose.

The 19-year-old deceased student, simply identified as Job Alawari Kei, allegedly took a drug known as Colorado (Colos).

According to some students on campus, the drug known as Colos is mainly taken among youths involved in internet fraud popularly known as Yahoo Boys.

A student, who pleaded anonymity, said the deceased student was reported to have “cash out” on an internet deal and wanted to celebrate by getting “high”, “But the drug handed him by his friends killed him.”

Already, the death of the student, which is coming few weeks after the death of another 200-level student of the Federal University of Otuoke identified as Bright Akhere, at a swimming pool located at Renew Empire Hotel in Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, has triggered concerns over the rate of student involvement in drugs and internet fraud.

Some of the students told LEADERSHIP that most of the deaths recorded in the last six months were basically drug overdosez-related and internet fraud betrayal,

“We are worried. Even the girls now take drugs with reckless abandon. And the school authorities are not bothered because we stay off campus,” one of them lamented.

One Joseph said that though individual students should caution themselves over involvement in drugs, “the newly elected SUG led by Comrade Saturday Emomotimi Charles has to launch an aggressive campaign against drug abuse within and outside the campus.”

Meanwhile, confirming the sad incident in a statement on Tuesday, the Bayelsa State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Asinim Buswat, said that the deceased student slumped after taking illicit substances and was rushed to the hospital where he was confirmed dead.

The PPRO said, “On 3rd May 2023 at about 2200 hours, one Job Alawari Kei ‘m’ 19 years, a student of the Petroleum and Gas Engineering Department of Federal University Otuoke, slumped after intake of illicit substances. He was rushed to the hospital where he was confirmed death.

“The corpse has been deposited at the Hospital for autopsy. Investigation is ongoing.”

When contacted on some of the measures the institution is putting in place to address drug related death of students, the Public Relations Officer of FUO, Mercy Ekott, said that the institution has not had any management meeting to that effect yet, adding that they have organised several orientation programmes especially for all freshmen on dangers and consequences of drug abuse.

“Students should be more careful and sober in their celebration and social engagement. They should have that orientation. We had an orientation programme for all freshmen. So we had instilled into them. They should be more responsible,” she stated.