Pandemonium broke out on Tuesday and Wednesday at the National Open University of Nigeria, Victoria Island Lagos Study Centre, following what students described as poorly coordinated examinations that led to suffocation, collapse of students and the death of a male student.
The incident occurred during the ongoing electronic examinations for 100 and 200 level students, as large numbers of students converged on the centre to access the examination halls.
Eyewitnesses said students were made to queue in a congested environment with limited ventilation, creating panic and severe discomfort.
A student, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a male student slumped during the rush to gain entry into the exam hall and was later confirmed dead, while at least three other students fainted due to suffocation.
“The situation was terrible. Hundreds of students were struggling to enter at the same time. People were gasping for air. We kept shouting for help before some students collapsed,” the source said.
Several students were said to have immediately tried to revive those who fainted by fanning them, loosening their clothes and calling for medical assistance, as there was no visible emergency response team at the scene at the time of the incident.
Students blamed the chaos on poor planning by the centre management, noting that students who arrived only a few minutes late were denied access to write their examinations. This, they said, forced many students to rush and push in desperation to avoid being turned back.
Another student said, “They warned us that if you come late, you will not be allowed in. That is why everybody was rushing. There was no proper coordination. No crowd control. It felt like our lives did not matter.”
Some students also faulted the exam environment, describing it as unsafe and unsuitable for handling the volume of students scheduled for the examinations.
“This centre cannot manage this number of students at once. The halls are small, no fan, no AC, no proper ventilation, and there was no emergency response when people started fainting,” a 200 level student said.
Following the incident, students called for a full scale investigation into the conduct of the examinations and the circumstances surrounding the alleged death.
They demanded immediate reforms to ensure the safety of students, including better scheduling, improved crowd management and strict adherence to health and safety standards.
“As students, we deserve to be protected. Exams should not cost anyone their life. The authorities must investigate this and hold those responsible accountable,” another student said.
As of the time of filing this report, officials of the National Open University of Nigeria at the VI Lagos Study Centre were yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
