Tragedy has struck the Nigerian student community in the United Kingdom following the sudden death of 26-year-old Obanyeli Jesse Chima, who passed away in London after suffering a severe asthma attack during a joint birthday celebration with friends.
Chima, a die-hard Chelsea Football Club fan who had recently completed his Master’s degree in Public Health, was awaiting his official graduation ceremony and preparing to celebrate his 26th birthday when the incident occurred.
Tragic collapse during birthday meetup
The incident occurred on Saturday, September 19, 2026, when Chima met up with his close friend, Eva, and her partner to celebrate their birthdays, which all fell within days of each other in September.
While relaxing in the lounge, Chima suddenly experienced respiratory distress and told his friends he needed to step outside for fresh air due to an asthma attack.
“Our friend started CPR after being guided by the ambulance operators,” Eva recalled in an interview with UK publication MyLondon. “Multiple ambulances came, and they spent around two hours working on him to stabilise his heart. They finally got him to the hospital and told us he was on life support.”
Obanyeli Jesse Chima fights for life
Although initial medical updates suggested Chima might recover with potential minor memory loss, his condition deteriorated rapidly over the following 48 hours.
On September 23, medical personnel conducted extensive neurological evaluations and confirmed that Chima was brain-dead due to prolonged oxygen deprivation suffered during the collapse.
On September 25, 2026, he was officially pronounced dead after life support was withdrawn.
“It’s horrible because we were just laughing, and four days later, we had to see his lifeless body,” Eva said. “That weekend was our only chance to hang out, but instead, we ended up at the hospital.”
Crowdfunding campaign launched to repatriate body to Nigeria
Chima, who also worked at Chelsea FC during his time as an international student, leaves behind a grieving family in Nigeria who had been saving funds to travel and celebrate his academic milestone.
“His family had saved money for his graduation, and now that money needs to be used to bury their child,” his friend added.
To ease the unexpected financial strain on the bereaved family, friends have launched an online GoFundMe campaign targeting £9,000 to cover the cost of repatriating Chima’s remains from London to Nigeria for burial.
All proceeds raised will be handed over to Chima’s father to oversee his final burial arrangements back home.
