Tragic Party at UNN: Survivor Shares His Experience Before Passing Out

A survivor of the party at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, where four students died and six others were taken to the hospital, has shared how he lost consciousness while cleaning up after someone vomited during the event.

The 24-year-old survivor said it was his first time drinking alcohol. He expressed regret about the experience and promised never to drink again.

In an interview with Vanguard on Friday, he explained that he went to the party after a friend named David invited him. David organized the party to celebrate finishing his exams.

The gathering began around 11:30 PM at a flat in the Hilltop area of Nsukka. About 10 people attended the party. They played games like truth or dare and shared two bottles of alcoholic drinks, Magic Moments and Best, pouring them into cups in small amounts.

"My friend organized the party and invited me. He said I should come. Then, he brought Magic Moments and Best. We bought them and took them home.

"The party started around 11:30 PM. We began playing games, truth or dare. It is just like a fun game where if you are told to say the truth, you say the truth about something, and if they dare you to do something, you do it," he said.

He noted that the game was just for fun and nobody was paid to participate.

Talking about how he collapsed, he said a male attendee vomited during the party, so he went to help clean up.

"At a point, one of the boys vomited, and I took him to the bathroom and told him to clean himself up. I brought out a rag to clean the curtain he vomited on.

"When I finished, I went to drop the bucket of water. I lost consciousness there," he said.

He mentioned that the party happened in the living room of a one-bedroom apartment. The windows were closed and they used a fan for air. The apartment had an air conditioner, but it was not on. A generator was running outside the corridor, close to where they were.

On the amount of alcohol they drank, he said they shared it in small portions because they only had two bottles.

"It was a party cup. It was not up to a quarter of the party cup that we used. We took small quantities because we had only two bottles. If we were to serve it full, it would not have gone round," he said.

Commenting on his health, the survivor said he is recovering but cannot use his legs well.

"Currently, I am getting better. It is just that my legs are still stiff. I cannot still use my legs," he said.

He confirmed he was getting medical help and said the university’s Vice-Chancellor visited the affected students, along with local government officials and friends.

Reflecting on the incident, he said he is still trying to understand what happened, especially since he had never drunk alcohol before.

"I feel so numb because I never even thought of what would happen at first, because this is just the first time I am taking alcohol and it has got me to this extent.

"So I am not really proud of it. But I know that this will be the last of it," he said.

The survivor also mentioned he could not tell if the drinks were contaminated. People kept asking him if someone might have poisoned them.

He said police officers also asked him if he had any disagreement with anyone or suspected anyone of trying to harm him. He told the officers that he did not suspect anyone.

The incident at the off-campus gathering in Hilltop, Nsukka, led to the deaths of four students and left six others in the hospital.

The Enugu State Police Command confirmed that the four deceased students, two males and two females, were dead on arrival at the hospital.

The police found alcoholic drinks at the scene and said the deceased students' bodies were taken to a mortuary for an autopsy as investigations continue to find out what happened.

The university confirmed the deaths of the four students and announced three days of mourning, during which all academic and social activities were put on hold.