OAU Mourns Death Of 18-yr-old Medical Student

The Management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, has announced the passing of Timilehin Adetoye Toromade, a Part III student of the College of Health Sciences, Department of Medicine and Surgery, who reportedly died in his sleep in the wee hours of Tuesday.

Announcing his death in a release by the institution’s public relations officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, the institution stated that, “OAU received with profound shock, deep sorrow and a heavy heart the devastating news of the sudden passing of an Eighteen years old — who reportedly died in his sleep in the early hours of today, Tuesday, 6th of January, 2026”.

According to him, Toromade, with matriculation number CLI/2022/133, “might have died after two in the morning because one of his room mates said that he opened the door for one of them at that time.”

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, on behalf of the Visitor, the University Council, Management, Senate, staff, and students of the University, expressed heartfelt and unreserved condolences to the bereaved family, classmates, colleagues, and friends of the deceased.

According to the Vice Chancellor: “The loss of a young life filled with promise, purpose, and potential is a tragedy that words alone cannot adequately capture.”

Describing the incident as deeply painful and distressing, the Professor Bamire noted that the entire University community was united in grief over the untimely departure of a student who had embraced the rigours of medical training with the hope of, one day, healing others and serving humanity, adding that his passing has left a void in the hearts of his peers and all who knew him.

The University Management assured the public that it was working closely with relevant authorities to fully understand the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate incident, in line with established medical procedures.

The OAU public relations officer said that the university was also putting in place appropriate support measures to assist students and members of the University community who have been emotionally affected by this tragic loss.

“At this moment of collective mourning, we University calls on students, staff, alumni, and friends of the institution to remain calm, compassionate, and prayerful, and to uphold the values of empathy and solidarity for which the Great Ife is renowned.

“As a community of faith, hope and learning, we commit the soul of our departed student into the hands of Almighty God, the giver and sustainer of life. We pray that the Lord, who comforts those who mourn, will grant his family and all of us the strength to bear this irreparable loss,” Olarewaju prayed.