FINAL-YEAR ENGINEERING STUDENT SLUMPS AND DIES DURING FOOTBALL TRAINING
A final-year student of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Nwachukwu Omiko, has tragically passed away after collapsing during a football training session on campus.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at the San Siro Football Pitch within the university premises. Omiko, a student of Mechanical Engineering, was participating in a routine training session when he suddenly slumped. Peers at the scene revealed he was known to be asthmatic.
Despite immediate efforts by fellow students to revive him and the prompt response of the university’s medical team, Omiko was confirmed dead upon arrival at the Federal Medical Centre. The university’s oxygen-equipped ambulance transported him at high speed in a desperate attempt to save his life.
In an official statement signed by the institution’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Ubadire Agua, the university expressed profound sorrow over the loss of the promising student.
“The university regrets that despite the efforts to keep Mr Omiko alive, it lost him to the cold hands of death,” the statement read.
Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe, has extended heartfelt condolences to Omiko’s family, the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, and the entire student body.
The university also used the moment to urge students to take their health seriously and seek medical evaluations upon arrival on campus. It further advised individuals with pre-existing health conditions to avoid strenuous activities.
The untimely death of Nwachukwu Omiko has cast a pall of grief across the university community.
