Tragedy struck the Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH) community when Emmanuel Nweke, a first-year mathematics student, fell from a two-story building in the Ikorodu area.
The incident occurred on Saturday around 4:00 PM at Nweke’s residence in the Lasunwon First Gate area, predominantly inhabited by students.
According to reports, Nweke had stepped onto the first-floor balcony to get fresh air during a prolonged power outage.
He reportedly leaned on the balcony railing, lost his balance, and fell, sustaining fatal head injuries.
He was pronounced dead before reaching the nearby general hospital.
In response to the incident, authorities sealed off the building to prevent further accidents.
The landlord was taken into custody by officers from the Ikorodu Police Division for questioning.
Sadiq Adams Kiakia, Vice Chairman of the Lagos State Chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Committee, criticized the university for not providing adequate on-campus housing.
He highlighted that the lack of accommodation and unstable power supply contributed to Nweke’s death.
Kiakia noted that power supply in the area had been a significant issue since the beginning of the year, with barely two hours of electricity available daily.
He emphasized the urgent need for proper accommodation within the school, stating that if there were on-campus housing, Nweke would not have been staying in that building.
The National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Committee (NANS JCC) in Lagos State condemned the school management and the state government for their negligence.
They demanded justice for the deceased and criticized the poor maintenance and lack of oversight in student accommodations.
The union described the incident as a clear example of the ongoing crisis of inadequate and unsafe student housing around LASUSTECH and other tertiary institutions in Lagos State.
They called for a comprehensive structural audit of all off-campus hostels around LASUSTECH to identify and shut down unsafe buildings, immediate action by the state government against landlords and hostel operators violating building regulations, and justice for Nweke, holding the hostel management accountable for the negligence that led to his death.
Dr. Ademola Aderogba, Dean of Student Affairs at LASUSTECH, confirmed the incident and stated that the management was “on top of the situation.”
Regarding the lack of student accommodation, he explained that the issue was beyond the university’s control but assured that the government was already working on a solution.
He noted that it was only three years ago that the state government began introducing hostels within the school premises.
The initiative has already started at Lagos State University, Ojo, through a Public-Private Partnership, with LASU being used as a model for other state-owned institutions.
However, the project has yet to commence at LASUSTECH.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has previously appealed to both federal and state governments to address issues such as deplorable hostel accommodations and poor power supply.
In January 2025, NANS highlighted the challenges faced by students in institutions like the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and LASUSTECH, emphasizing the need for immediate intervention to improve living and learning conditions.
The situation at LASUSTECH is particularly dire, with students expressing concerns over the high cost of off-campus housing, poor power supply, and inadequate facilities.
In August 2022, reports indicated that students were grappling with increased hostel fees, with some paying as much as N100,000 for a single room. The lack of on-campus accommodation has forced many to seek housing in surrounding communities, often at exorbitant rates.
