A final-year student of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, identified simply as John, has died during a karate training session on campus.
John, an HND student in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, had reportedly left his off-campus lodge to participate in his regular Saturday morning karate training. According to eyewitnesses, he fainted immediately upon entering the ring and was rushed to a private hospital in Ikot Ekpene. The facility reportedly turned him away and referred him to the General Hospital, Ikot Ekpene.
Mr. Nsoefen Mark Akpan, President of the Journalism and Media Studies Students Association (JAMSSA), said doctors at the General Hospital pronounced John dead on arrival.
Distraught students, unwilling to accept the doctor’s verdict, took the body to a church for prayers. Akpan recounted that a spiritualist attempted to revive him but later claimed that the student had already “crossed into the spirit world.”
“At that point, we returned the body to the mortuary, although many students were still in disbelief and hoped for a miracle,” Akpan said.
The Head of Department, Dr. Inemesit Umoren, addressed the students at the hospital before the body was deposited at the morgue. John’s parents were also contacted.
“This is someone who just finished his exams last Thursday and showed no signs of illness,” Akpan added. “He led the karate training every Saturday. His sudden death has shocked all of us.”
