The management of Osun State University (UNIOSUN) has laid the blame of the death of a final-year student, Miss Grace Osunlakin, at the doorstep of Oro festival in Ifetedo community.
Grace Osunlakin, a final-year student in the Department of Criminology and Security Studies, Faculty of Liberal Studies, College of Law, Ifetedo Campus, had died after successfully defending her final-year project on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
The school subsequently came under attack as its medical arm was accused of negligence in the manner the circumstances surrounding Osunlakin’s demise were handled.
Pushing back at the criticism, the school management denied responsibility for the unfortunate incident.
It however, attributed the cause of the female student’s death to
restrictions imposed by an unannounced Oro ritual in Ifetedo.
Oro Festival is an ancient patriarchal Yoruba traditional event dedicated the Orisa Orò, the deity of justice and communal cleansing during which men involved have a procession and it’s forbidden for women to see them.
In the institution’s account, the late final-year student was asthmatic and was last treated at the University Health Centre on March 26.
Leading up to her demise, the school said she had successfully defended her final-year project on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 at about 1:15pm before a panel chaired by the Head of Department, Dr. Ademolu Adenuga, after which she interacted with her project supervisor and fellow students before returning to her privately rented off-campus residence.
It stated that she showed no visible signs of illness while on campus that day.
Citing testimonies obtained from her friend, housemate and coursemate, Miss Durosinmi Mariam, the student returned from a Christian fellowship later that evening and complained of stomach pain before going to the toilet, where she reportedly screamed.
Mariam was said to have rushed to her aid, assisted her back to her room and monitored her condition. However, when her health deteriorated, those around her decided to take her to a medical facility at about 11:30pm.
The university said efforts to move her were complicated by the Oro ritual.
“The report explained that movement at that time was reportedly affected by the unannounced Oro ritual in the Ifetedo community, which placed restrictions on movement at night, thereby making transportation more difficult,” the statement read.
It added that despite the restrictions, efforts were made to transport her on a motorcycle to the nearby Community Health Centre at Ikija, Ifetedo.
It stressed that Osunlakin “was not taken to the University Health Centre at any point on the night of the incident.”
According to the report, she lost consciousness upon arrival at the Community Health Centre and was confirmed dead there.
