A 200-level student of the Department of Dentistry, School of Medicine, University of Lagos, Unilag, Idi-Araba, Eniola Abiola has drowned.
The incident occurred at the Elegushi Beach, Ikate, in Eti-Osa Local Government Area, of Lagos, where the deceased was attending a friend’s birthday party.
Abiola was reported to have got to the party at 8:15 p.m. and later joined her friends a few meteres away from the shoreline to take photographs.An eyewitness told P.M.NEWS that while they were posing for a snapshot, a heavy wave suddenly arose and rolled fiercely to the shore.
“The wave came the first time, but receded. It came a second time, and floored her. As she tried to escape like others, a third one came and swept her away,” she said.
However, rescue effort was impossible at the time, as the life guards at the beach were said to have closed at about 5 p.m. on the fateful day.
When P.M.NEWS visited Abiola’s school this morning, few of her classmates were seen discussing the incident.
Her class representative, simply identified as Seun, said her classmates were still in shock and that they would miss her.
The President, Unilag Students Union, Wale Peters, said: “The death was unfortunate, because the deceased was an easy-going, brilliant and lively girl.”
Effort to get the university to officially comment on the matter was abortive. But an official, who pleaded not to be named because he was not authorised to speak, said the university cannot bear responsibility for Abiola’s death since it occurred outside the school environment.
The deceased father, Dr. Eniola, an eye doctor and university staff was not available for comment at the time of this report.
