A 300l student of the Department of European Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan (UI), Gbadebo Richard, has died after he accidentally slid into a detergent-making machine in Oluyole, Ibadan.
Richard was said to have taken up a factory job at the detergent-making company due to schools lockdown from COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the UI’s Union of Campus Journalist (UCJ), Gbadebo died on Monday, after the accident at the factory and has been buried on Wednesday.
“It is completely disheartening to announce the death of Mr Gbadebo Richard, a 300-level student from the Department of European Studies. Your fervour to become greater in life was cut short by your sudden death. Death why?”
A friend of the deceased who does not want her name in print said: “On the day of the incident, he went to pour the powder in the machine and I think the nylon got stuck there and as he was trying to pull it out, he got stuck and the machine rolled upon him.
“The other workers didn’t even know initially, by when the powder moved to the packaging department, they saw that it was mixed with blood and they had to rush to the mixing department, where they saw only his leg.”
However, when contacted, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the university, Mr Oladejo Olatunji, said he was not aware of the incident.
He said: “I can’t confirm it; students are not on campus and the Dean of Students Affairs has not even been notified, so I can’t say anything about it.”
Meanwhile, the institution’s Students Union Government (SUG), on Wednesday, protested over the death of Gbadebo in front of the company. This was after they went to the deceased’s family house to commiserate with them, only to be told that since the incident occurred, the company has feigned ignorance of the accident.