Tragic Loss for LAUTECH Families as Six Nursing Students Die in Accident

In what was anticipated to be a celebratory conclusion to their academic journey, the families of six final-year nursing students from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), situated in Ogbomosho, Oyo State, are grappling with devastating shock and sorrow after they perished in a tragic motor accident on the Ilorin-Ogbomosho highway in Kwara State.

The students, who had boarded a vehicle from a garage in Suleja within Niger State last Sunday, were en route to their university to participate in final examinations for the Open and Distance Learning program. What was meant to be the last leg of their academic aspirations sadly turned into a heartbreaking event.

Reports indicate that these students managed to balance their roles as working nurses with their academic responsibilities and were eager to complete their studies to officially qualify for a Bachelor of Nursing degree. The deceased individuals have been identified as Maimunah Abdurraheem, Jamila Idris, Nana Firdausi Shehu, Blessing Kevwe, Owoicho Elezabeth, and Aroke Ozavize Victoria, all of whom tragically lost their lives in this incident.

Investigations traced the family home of one of the victims, Maimunah Abdurraheem, located in the Kwamba area of Suleja town, not far from where the students set out that fateful day. The family home is currently receiving mourners, and her father, Mr. Abdurrahim Hamza, along with her mother, Halimat Jumah, disclosed that Maimunah was expecting her first child at the time of her death. Her mother shared that Maimunah participated in her online program from home while working at a private clinic in Suleja.

“This was their final year, and the journey was meant for their second semester examination in their 500-level,” she added.

“They would attend online lectures but had to go for in-person exams that lasted two weeks. I spoke to her a couple of times that day after she departed. Later, around 4 PM, I tried calling her but could not reach her, so I contacted one of her classmates, Nana, who was traveling with her.”

“The call connected and rang, but there was no response. At that moment, I composed myself and went to the mosque for the Ramadan tarawih prayers. My husband was also attempting to reach her by phone to find out if I had heard from her. We felt confused as we continued trying to contact them later that evening without success.

“Eventually, we decided to visit the home of the driver whose vehicle they used around 10 PM, as he lived nearby. It was there that we discovered that he had been involved in an accident and had lost his life. We were then directed to the Kwamba motor park, where we learned about their unfortunate deaths,” she recounted while expressing her anguish.

“I thank the Almighty Allah for giving me Maimunah and for taking her away,” she concluded.

Further, she mentioned that their next step is to reach out to the families of the other deceased students to coordinate and identify their remains. She reported that she managed to obtain a contact of one of the parents through a fellow course mate.

Later, it emerged that classmates traveled to Ilorin and managed to find the bodies at the university's teaching hospital. By the following day, families of Jamila, Nana, and Maimunah proceeded to Ilorin to meet a delegation from the university who were preparing to transport the bodies to their teaching hospital in Ogbomosho.

“They asked for our opinions, and we expressed our desire to bury the three of them in Ilorin. In the end, Maimuna and Jamila were laid to rest in Ilorin, while Nana's body was sent to Idah in Kogi State, per her family's wishes,” she shared.

Halimat Jumah described her late daughter as religious and a dutiful child who despised causing anyone distress.

Reflecting on the day before her daughter undertook the journey, Halimat mentioned feeling unusually emotional during Sahur (the pre-dawn meal), a state that did not go unnoticed by Maimunah. Despite her daughter's inquiries about her wellbeing, Halimat reassured her that all was well.

Dr. Bello Auwal, Maimunah's medical director, expressed his admiration for her during a condolence visit to the family, praising her dedication and punctuality at work.

Weekend Trust learned that Jamila's family was still in Kogi State, where she was interred, while Nana Firdausi’s family resides in Dutsen-Alhaji, Bwari Area Council, in the Federal Capital Territory. The family of Victoria, another victim, is based in Kwankwashe, a suburb of Suleja, but has since returned to their home state of Kogi.

There is currently no information available concerning the families of the remaining two victims of the accident.

Ibrahim Yakubu, an engineer and Jamila Idris's uncle, recounted that on the day of the accident, she departed their family home at Dutsen-Alhaji in the morning, accompanying five other classmates on what would become their final journey.

Yakubu explained that he learned of her death early Monday morning. “Although the news emerged on Sunday night, it wasn't clear until the following morning. While on my way to work, I received a phone call from one of my sisters regarding the accident. I rushed to the scene, where I found out someone had already gone to Ilorin to recover Jamila's remains. I later learned that the students had boarded two buses, and she unfortunately was on the one that crashed. Jamila was known to be gentle and reliable,” he stated.

He noted that Jamila had spoken to her mother during the trip but communication was lost after they reached Bida town in Niger State. The late Jamila, aged 28, completed her primary and secondary education at schools in Dutsen-Alhaji before moving to Abaji for her senior secondary education. Subsequently, she gained admission into the School of Nursing in Gwagwalada, FCT, and later transferred to LAUTECH for her final year examinations.