Uzakah Ebiweni, a 300-level medical student of the Niger Delta University, Ammasoma in the Southern Ijaw Local Governmant Area of Bayelsa State, has committed suicide for failing his examination.
Ebiweni was said to have dived into the Amassoma River and drowned before he could get help.
Sources at the university said few hours after Ebiweni’s body was recovered, another student attempted to kill himself by running into a fast-moving motorcycle, but was rescued by other students.
It was gathered that Ebiweni, a student of Surgery and Medicine at the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences of the NDU, decided to kill himself following his failure to realise his dream.
He was said to be among the students disqualified by the institution after their results were released on Friday.
Ebiweni, it was learnt, found the development difficult to accept and was said to have dropped a hint about his suicidal intention through his WhatsApp status update.
He was said to have initially posted the picture of a lit candle and later changed it to that of a candle with its light blown out.
The Public Relations Officer, NDU, Ndoni Ingezi, who confirmed the incident, said Ebiweni’s body had been recovered and deposited in the Sabageria hospital mortuary.
He said the late student might have resorted to suicide after news that he was among the 22 students shortlisted to be withdrawn from the college.
Ingezi stated, “You know, it is a general practice that every student passes the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery exams before progressing to the next level of academic pursuit.
“But Ebiweni and 21 others failed beyond the level that they could be placed on academic probation for another academic year; so, they had to be withdrawn. So, in our usual practice, we did not break the news to the students until they had been invited for counselling.
“When Ebiweni was counselled and informed that he would be withdrawn from the college, he accepted the decision of the college in good faith and left, only to for the university to hear afterwards that the young man took his own life.”
The first female President of the Federated African Medical Students’ Association, Esite Winifred, lamented the development.
She said, “Today, a medical student took his life after failing his professional exams. This brought back a lot of memories, especially the number of times lecturers used to spread negativity and discouragement at the initial phase of the medical school.
“Please, this should at least be a wake-up call to all students and lecturers in the faculty. It is not your destiny to demoralise young people who want certificates.
“Mentor and uplift them or be quiet. Nothing at the end of the day is worth dying for, especially not medicine and surgery.”
