Lecturer finally opens up about Favour Ugwuka’s Death

On Friday, Professor Amechi Uneke Enyi, an English Grammar lecturer at Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, addressed claims concerning the tragic death of Miss Favour Ugwuka, a final-year student of the Department of English and Literary Studies. He clarified that her demise had no connection to her performance in his course.

Reports surfaced on Thursday that Miss Favour had allegedly committed suicide at a hostel on the Ishieke campus. The incident quickly spread across social media and the university community. In a viral video, a woman identifying herself as Miss Favour’s mother accused Professor Enyi and Ebonyi State University of being responsible for her daughter’s death.

In response, Professor Enyi expressed his sorrow over the student’s death and firmly denied any involvement. “It is unfortunate, it is quite unfortunate that the girl ended the way she ended. I was really shocked when I heard the news,” he said. He emphasized that Miss Favour’s death was unrelated to academic issues, asserting, “It is not true that her death is related to academic issues. I don’t see how somebody who was not victimized, someone who failed an exam, will decide to take her own life.”

Professor Enyi explained that he first learned about the student in February 2024, after the second semester results were uploaded and approved by the university. He recounted how Miss Favour’s mother had contacted him, accusing him of witch-hunting her daughter because she had failed his course. Despite explaining the university’s procedures for addressing such concerns, the mother was unwilling to listen and threatened him.

The lecturer noted that the university’s Head of Department (HOD) had informally investigated the matter and found that Miss Favour had not answered the exam questions, leading to her failure. The HOD advised the mother to have her daughter re-register for the course in the second semester, which was the last communication they had on the matter.

Professor Enyi also mentioned that Miss Favour’s mother later apologized to him, and he assured her that he had no intention of victimizing her daughter. He had even offered to assist the student in passing the course if she re-registered. “For me, once I have uploaded my result, I have concluded with the examination. If you pass, that means you passed,” he stated.

The professor expressed frustration over the accusations and called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Miss Favour’s death. “I call on the security people and you journalists to investigate deeper what may have led to her death. There are students who live with her where she lived and they would know her activities and what she has been doing in Abakaliki,” he urged.

Professor Enyi questioned the presence of wounds and bruises on Miss Favour’s body, which were visible in a circulated photo, and suggested that a post-mortem or autopsy be conducted to determine the real cause of death. He concluded by emphasizing his commitment to his students and maintaining professional integrity throughout his over 20-year teaching career.

Vanguard has confirmed that both the police and the management of Ebonyi State University have initiated investigations to uncover the immediate and remote causes behind Miss Favour Ugwuka’s tragic demise.