Oluchi Tragedy: UNILAG student scolds colleagues over protest, says girl was not "fully" electrocuted
First Class Accounting student of the University of Lagos, Oluchi Anekwe, is dead.
We got an email this Thursday morning from a UNILAG student who has objections to how the media is reporting, and to how her colleagues protested, the tragedy.
Not to sound religious or anything, but, I’m pretty sure this world we live in is a movie; we’re the casts; our day-to-day occurrences, the script; and God, the director. I’m a student of the University Of Lagos and hell yea, I believe in justice.
On Tuesday, 8th September 2015, I witnessed something I can regard as the most tragic incident I’ve witnessed so far as a UNILAG student.
On that #blackevening, I was playing video games with a friend at a game center, Jekaplay. Although I didn’t check the time, I calculate that it took me about two minutes to walk out towards the entrance of New Hall.
As I approached the entrance, I heard a loud noise that sounded like an explosion. I looked up and saw it was a power surge. Well, that really isn’t new if you’re a UNILAG student. But what followed thereafter was super new and scary.
A wire bearing fire fell. I was scared, not because of the falling wire, but for the person in its way. “Aaaaaaarrrrrgggghhhhh!” She screamed! About 30 seconds later she appeared to slump. A man ran towards her and carried her. I just stood and watched with the thought that she was electrocuted.
Another man screamed for milk…I guess someone who thought the hospital was a better idea then stopped a car, put her in and drove away.
Ok, now let’s think about this together.
One, the wire that fell is covered, not naked. Two, let’s agree that she stepped on the wire because that’s people version of the story. She’s not bare footed and the wire is still covered. Lastly, I may not be a science student but I definitely have a little knowledge of physics.
This wire that fell, scientifically, no longer has enough current in it to make it a high voltage killer because it’s been disconnected from its source.
In this regard, I believe she wasn’t electrocuted. Even if she was, it wasn’t enough to take her life. She was in shock, I mean a guy carried her about 30 second after slumming, if really she was electrocuted with such voltage level, the guy would also get electrocuted. I believe this is a pretty clear and logical thing.
To be honest, those security officers just saw the wire drop. They didn’t see it hit her. She screamed, which made everyone believe she was electrocuted.
I stand to be corrected, but that girl, I believe, wasn’t electrocuted.
I sympathise with her family and friends, and I pray God grants them the fortitude to bear their loss.
To my fellow UNILAG students, when you aspire for a position, try not to get it through the wrong means, it’s pretty obvious that there’s a group set out to rubbish the name of the current administration.
But, let’s be rational. We’re in school to learn. In learning, we learn how to resolve conflicts without doing the extreme. The protest yesterday (Wednesday) was clearly an act of disregard for the student union administration.
I get their point, the school is doing something wrong and yes it is the fault of the management because that very power wire has been twitching for a while now.
So, hell yes it is their fault that she even was in shock…But, realistically if we protested for the next 20 years, this wouldn’t bring Oluchi back. I knew Oluchi for a while and she was like a source of inspiration to me, so I’m hurt too.
I imploring my fellow students: channel your anger into writing and don’t pick up fights as a result of giving account of the incident.
Anonymous
Concerned UNILAG Student.
