Tragedy Near UNIZIK: The True Story Behind the Viral Video and the Death of Kenneth Oyeaka Rapuchukwu
On the night of June 5, 2025, social media platforms lit up with horrifying images and messages: a young man had allegedly jumped to his death from a three-storey building near the campus of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Awka, Anambra State. Within hours, rumors had solidified into what appeared to be fact: “UNIZIK student commits suicide after drug use,” the headlines read. But by the following day, the narrative began to unravel.
UNIZIK’s administration, jolted by the virality and misinformation, was swift to respond. In an official statement released by the university’s Chief Safety Officer, Ken Chukwurah, it was categorically clarified that the deceased was not a student of the institution. Instead, the victim was identified as Kenneth Oyeaka Rapuchukwu, a 28-year-old electrician from Aguleri.
What unfolded that night—and in the days following—provides a chilling window into the complexities of life in university-adjacent communities in Nigeria: the dangers of drug use, the virality of misinformation, the fragility of youth mental health, and the blurred lines between student life and urban survival.
Kenneth was not enrolled in any program at Nnamdi Azikiwe University. He was an electrician by trade, reportedly living in a student-dominated neighborhood close to the institution. He shared a room in Seat of Wisdom Lodge, a private hostel-style residence located at Royal Kitchen Junction, Ifite, a few minutes’ walk from UNIZIK’s main gate.
This proximity to the university led many to assume that he was a student. The surroundings—student hostels, food vendors, tutorial centers—create a campus extension where artisans, traders, and outsiders often blend seamlessly into the university community.
Kenneth, according to neighbors, was quiet, polite, and kept mostly to himself. But something went terribly wrong on that fateful evening.
Around 8:00 p.m. on June 5, residents of Seat of Wisdom Lodge reported hearing a loud thud. When some rushed outside, they were confronted with a horrifying sight: a man lay motionless in a pool of blood, having plunged headfirst from the building’s third floor.
Eyewitnesses recounted moments of confusion. Was it a suicide? An accident? Or was the man pushed? Shortly afterward, a viral video began circulating online, showing the lifeless body on the ground and a gathering crowd of panicked bystanders.
Initial reports, mostly unverified and emotionally charged, claimed the victim was a student who had overdosed on a drug—possibly Colorado or tramadol—and then leaped to his death.
The tragedy worsened when Kenneth’s roommate, identified only as Chibuzor, was found in a disoriented and incoherent state in their room. Sources indicated that he, too, appeared to be under the influence of a similar substance.
Both the man’s identity and the cause of the incident became the focus of widespread speculation, further fueled by social media influencers, student blogs, and sensationalist news platforms.
Recognizing the reputational damage and the fear spreading among parents, students, and prospective enrollees, UNIZIK moved quickly to set the record straight.
In an official statement signed by Chief Safety Officer Ken Chukwurah, the university confirmed that Kenneth Rapuchukwu was not a student of the institution. He was an artisan, an electrician, who lived among the student population in Ifite.
“Our investigation indicates that the deceased is not a student but an artisan,” the statement read. “The tragic incident reportedly occurred at Seat of Wisdom Lodge, Royal Kitchen Junction, Ifite, a location situated close to the university’s main gate.”
The university emphasized that while the proximity of the lodge to campus might create the illusion of affiliation, Kenneth had no registration or academic link to UNIZIK. This important clarification, however, didn’t stop the wave of social panic and public debate that followed.
Although the definitive cause of Kenneth’s actions remains unknown pending toxicology and police reports, preliminary investigations point strongly to drug use.
Multiple eyewitness accounts suggest that Kenneth had consumed a powerful illicit substance shortly before the incident. The exact type is yet to be officially confirmed, but speculation points toward substances like Colorado (a synthetic cannabinoid), which have been increasingly abused among Nigerian youths for their mind-altering effects.
“Preliminary investigations suggest that the deceased and his roommate, identified as Chibuzor (surname unknown), were allegedly consuming a suspected illicit substance prior to the incident. It was reported that while under the influence of the substance, Rapuchukwu jumped headfirst from the third floor, resulting in his immediate death,” the UNIZIK statement added.
Following the fall, Kenneth’s body was transported to the Amaku mortuary, while his roommate, Chibuzor, was taken into police custody at B-Division Station, Awka, to assist with the ongoing investigation.
This case joins a long and disturbing list of drug-induced tragedies in Nigeria, particularly among youth populations both within and outside academic institutions.
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What made this story particularly viral—and dangerous—was the speed at which misinformation spread. The tragic incident was filmed by bystanders, with many narrating in Igbo and English that “a UNIZIK student has jumped to his death.”
Within minutes, WhatsApp groups, Twitter feeds, and TikTok reels were awash with alarmist takes. Student communities panicked, parents began calling their children, and the university found itself facing a reputational crisis fueled by unverified claims.
This incident underscores the need for responsible social media use, especially in crisis situations. In an era where virality often precedes verification, institutions, families, and communities suffer avoidable damage.
UNIZIK’s crisis response was commendable for its speed and clarity, but it also exposes the vulnerability of institutions in an age where anyone with a smartphone can publish “breaking news.”
Though Kenneth Rapuchukwu was not a student, his death forces a closer examination of the socio-cultural dynamics around university communities in Nigeria. From Nsukka to Uyo, Benin to Ilorin, campuses have birthed shadow societies—populated by students, artisans, cultists, drug peddlers, and commercial opportunists.
These fringe communities, while providing necessary services (like electricity, plumbing, catering, etc.), also introduce non-regulated elements like unlicensed drug vendors, fake landlords, and criminal gangs. The drug culture, in particular, is spreading rapidly.
Synthetic drugs like Colorado, Loud, Molly, and variants of tramadol have flooded the market. They are cheap, accessible, and often sold by seemingly harmless vendors. These substances affect cognition, induce hallucinations, and have caused dozens of mysterious deaths and suicides across the country.
Mental health remains critically under-addressed in these environments. Whether Kenneth jumped due to a psychotic break or drug-induced hallucination remains uncertain, but his death points toward a deep, unhealed wound in Nigeria’s youth ecosystem.
Following the tragedy, residents of Seat of Wisdom Lodge spoke to journalists under conditions of anonymity. One neighbor said:
“We’ve been hearing strange things from their room for some time. They don’t talk much to people, but they always stay indoors. That night, there was noise—then silence. Then the thud.”
Another added:
“The way this place is now, you don’t know who is a student and who is not. Drugs are everywhere. Even the pure water sellers are not safe anymore. We need help here.”
Students themselves echoed similar fears. A 200-level Sociology student at UNIZIK told reporters:
“This has happened before, and it will happen again if something is not done. We need better policing. Drug sellers are known. Everyone knows them. But nothing is ever done.”
The local police division is currently handling the investigation, but the response so far has followed a familiar pattern: arrest the surviving person, make public statements, and then wait for the news cycle to move on.
What’s missing is a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach to drug abuse and urban youth safety. Universities have limited jurisdiction outside their campuses. Hostels like Seat of Wisdom are privately owned. Police presence is often minimal. Parents are far away. And the government? Mostly reactive.
If tragedies like Kenneth’s death are to be prevented, Nigeria must create joint task forces between universities, community leaders, drug enforcement agencies, and mental health professionals. Regular hostel inspections, anonymous drug hotlines, and youth-focused counseling centers must be implemented—not just talked about.
As of June 7, Kenneth’s family had not released a public statement. He hailed from Aguleri, a community in Anambra East LGA. The pain of losing a child, not to illness or accident but to a drug-related fall, is unimaginable. The social stigma alone is unbearable in a country where mental health and drug-related deaths are poorly understood and widely judged.
Funeral plans remain unclear, but sympathizers from his community have begun visiting the family compound. Some are calling for the government to support the family in dealing with the trauma and logistics of repatriating the body.
Lessons for Students, Institutions, and Society
This incident must serve as a wake-up call on multiple fronts:
- For students: Awareness of the risks associated with drug use must be internalized, not just preached. Peer groups must take responsibility for each other.
- For universities: Proximity should not excuse passivity. Safety departments must extend partnerships to hostels and community authorities.
- For parents: Involvement in children’s lives, especially financially and emotionally, must go beyond tuition and fees.
- For society at large: We need to address the growing normalcy of substance abuse and mental health neglect among our youth.
Kenneth Oyeaka Rapuchukwu’s death is tragic not just for its violence but for its preventability. A young man, possibly trying to escape personal demons, poor influences, or a moment of madness, leapt to his death—and was instantly branded a “UNIZIK student” by a viral system hungry for stories but starved of facts.
In clarifying the truth, UNIZIK has done well. But Nigeria must go further. We must treat every such death as a national emergency, every case of drug abuse as a social failure, and every viral misinformation wave as a test of our digital conscience.
Kenneth’s name must not be forgotten—not for scandal, but for reform.
