A final-year student of the University of Lagos, identified as Damilola Balogun, lost his life after being swept away by strong ocean currents at a beach in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.
The incident happened on Thursday when Balogun, a 400-level student of the Department of Education and president-elect of the Nigerian Universities Education Students Association, UNILAG chapter, visited the beach with colleagues.
Balogun, who was expected to begin his teaching practice on Monday, attended a handover get-together organised by outgoing executives of the association. According to findings, the outing took place at Akodo in the Idado community, where the group had gathered to mark the transition of leadership.
It was learnt that by Thursday afternoon, only Balogun, the general secretary, and an outgoing executive member were still present at the location. After playing football, Balogun moved closer to the shoreline and asked for pictures and videos to be taken. Despite warnings about the strong currents, he remained at the water’s edge before being swept away.
Attempts by local divers to rescue him were unsuccessful as the waves grew stronger and carried him away. His body was later discovered two days after the incident, at the Museyo community, across from where he drowned. The community head informed his colleagues about the recovery, and he was buried the same day in Museyo.
The Lagos chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Students described Balogun as a dedicated leader who had a strong passion for serving the student community. They described his death as a huge loss to the student movement in Lagos State.
Officials of the University of Lagos were contacted, but no official response was given as of press time.
This is not the first time such a tragedy has occurred in Lagos. In 2022, four teenagers drowned at Elegushi Beach, Lekki, while celebrating the completion of their secondary school examinations.