Final-Year Journalism Student Found Dead in Hostel Room At Nigeria’s Akwa Ibom Polytechnic

Emem Okon Jimmy

Source: Africa Publicity

A final-year student in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic in Nigeria, Emem Okon Jimmy, has reportedly been found dead in her hostel room.

Emem was found dead in her hostel room on Friday, July 18, 2025, prompting calls for medical checkups.

Reports say the deceased was in good health the previous day, July 17, and had dinner with other tenants at the students’ lodge before retiring to bed. A neighbour, who requested anonymity, disclosed that concern arose when Emem was not seen outside her room throughout the following day. Around 10 p.m. on Friday, the lodge’s caretaker raised an alarm. Concerned co-tenants forcibly gained access to her room by removing part of the roof and ceiling, as the door was locked from the inside.

They discovered Emem lying face down, stiff, and wrapped in her bedspread. She was clutching her mobile phone, with blood reportedly oozing from her nose and staining the mattress.

The caretaker immediately notified her elder brother, who travelled from Uyo to Ikot Ekpene and conveyed her body to a mortuary.

In a candlelight procession held in her honour ahead of the burial scheduled for Saturday, July 25, the Head of the Department, Dr. Inemesit Umoren, expressed sorrow over the loss and urged students to prioritise their health.

“It is sad that we lost one of you again. This is the second time we’ve lost a student in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies this year,” she said. “May the soul of the departed rest in peace. We pray it won’t happen again.”

Also speaking, the President of the Journalism and Media Studies Students Association, Hon. Nsoefen Mark Akpan, encouraged students to attend Emem’s burial to pay their last respects.

“Our hearts are heavy and our eyes filled with tears, but let us come together and give her a befitting farewell,” he urged.