The Lagos State University (LASU) community has been thrown into deep mourning following the tragic death of one of its undergraduate students, Otabor Boluwatife Joseph. The young student succumbed to severe injuries he sustained during a violent armed robbery attack in the Iba area of Lagos State.
Boluwatife, who was an active student in the Department of History and International Studies, Faculty of Arts, met his untimely death outside the university campus. Suspected armed robbers attacked the deceased and some of his close friends on the night of Friday, May 29, 2026.
The university management, through an official press statement, described the unfortunate incident as a profound and painful loss to the entire academic institution. Upon receiving the report, the institution immediately activated emergency support measures and rushed the victim for intensive medical attention.
Authorities launch investigation
The Acting Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr. Abiodun Fatai-Abatan, coordinated the initial institutional response and maintained constant communication with the healthcare professionals. Despite the frantic efforts of the medical team to save his life, Boluwatife eventually passed away on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
“The university community received with profound sadness the news of the passing of Otabor Boluwatife Joseph, a student of the Department of History and International Studies, Faculty of Arts, who succumbed to injuries sustained during a violent robbery attack in the Iba area on Friday, May 29, 2026,” the management stated.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, has extended her heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, friends, and colleagues of the deceased student. University representatives have already held strategic meetings with officials of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and law enforcement authorities to ensure justice.
The LASU management is actively collaborating with the Nigerian Police Force to track down the fleeing perpetrators. This shocking incident has renewed critical concerns among stakeholders over the security situation in off-campus student communities within Lagos.
