FUNAAB Mourns Loss of 500-Level Student in Fatal Motorbike Accident

By: Damilare Adebesin

The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) has announced its deep sense of loss over the passing of one of its students, Mr. Samson Oyelaran, a 500-Level student of the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management (AQFM), College of Environmental Resources Management (COLERM).

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA OTN News gathered from a press statement by the Acting Head, Directorate of Public Relations of the Abeokuta-based Federal University, Mr.Olasunkanmi Olajide, that the deceased, Mr. Oyelaran, while riding his personal motorbike, was involved in a fatal accident at the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) axis, Kotopo, along the Abeokuta/Ibadan Expressway, around 1:00 p.m. on Friday, April 25, 2025. 

The statement further revealed that, although the victim was immediately rushed by passersby to a nearby hospital, he was sadly declared dead on arrival.

OTN News further reports that following the tragic incident, the Acting Head of Department of AQFM, Dr. Abdulraheem Ikililu and Mr. Olusegun Ogunyemi of the Nigerian Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) of the University, alongside the President of the Student Union, Mr. Ibraheem Adeyemi visited the hospital as the university promptly intervened to cover necessary expenses for the release of his body.

The remains of the deceased were later deposited at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, and he was subsequently laid to rest on Saturday, April 26, 2025 while the University fully shouldered the burial expenses in light of the deceased’s family’s financial challenges.

In the aftermath of the burial, some members of the Student Union, in solidarity with their late colleague, engaged in a protest at Camp Junction of the expressway. The Dean, Student Affairs, Prof. Festus Adeosun, alongside the Assistant Chief Environmental Officer, Mr. Peter Bolarinwa, who swiftly intervened to calm the situation.

The press release concludes that, "The Federal University extends its deepest condolences to the family of late Mr. Samson Oyelaran, the Student Union, and the entire university community over this painful loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with them".