By Promise Eze
Samuel Adegoke, a diligent National Diploma II student of Electrical Electronic Engineering at the prestigious Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, took his own life on Monday, allegedly after losing both his own and his friend’s tuition fees to online gambling.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the campus community as his fellow students were gearing up for the upcoming first-semester exams.
A student who pleaded anonymity said he was rushed to the school clinic from where he was later referred to a specialist hospital outside the school in Ilaro before he was pronounced dead.
The polytechnic spokesman, Sola Abiala, confirmed the incident yesterday.
“The Rector said he was called from the school clinic that one of the students is sick. Adegoke Samuel, ND 2 in Electrical Electronic Engineering was later referred to Hosanah Specialist Hospital. When they got there, they got the information that he used his school fees to bet and lose. He also used his roommate’s (money) to bet and also lost.
“We have a policy here that any student that does not pay school fees will not write the examination. He realised that he and his friend would not write the exam; that was why he committed suicide.
“We sent for his parents and briefed them. His father told us that his late son did the same last session and he had to send money to him to pay the fees. He said if he had known about the latest one, he would have paid for it.”
