Student’s Heartbreak: Final Call Hours After 1 a.m. Chat

Tragedy struck the Federal University Lokoja community on Wednesday as Dr. Kemi Emmanuel, a respected lecturer in the Department of Theatre Arts, died in a fatal road accident. The incident occurred in the Felele area of Lokoja, Kogi State, sending waves of grief through the university.

According to reports, the accident happened around 3:30 p.m. near the Crusher area. Dr. Emmanuel was reportedly thrown from a commercial motorcycle before a speeding trailer ran over her. The Kogi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Tenimu Etuku, confirmed the devastating event.

Etuku described the accident as highly unfortunate. His officials responded to a distress call and rushed the victim to the Kogi State Specialist Hospital. Medical personnel at the facility confirmed her death upon arrival. The FRSC commander expressed dismay at the conduct of the motorcycle rider involved in the crash.

A Community in Mourning

The news of Dr. Emmanuel’s death plunged the university into profound sorrow. Colleagues and students flooded social media with tributes, expressing their shock and sadness. One of her students, Olanrewaju Rotimi, paid a heartfelt tribute, calling her “The Mother of Theatre Arts” at the institution.

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Rotimi recounted their final conversation just hours before the tragedy. He revealed they spoke until 1 p.m. about plans for the university’s convocation. “I told you I wasn’t feeling well, and you prayed for me to be fine,” he shared. “A few hours later, I got the saddest call that you had been taken to the Specialist Hospital.” He remembered her generosity, noting she had recently asked him to distribute clothes to needy students.

Calls for Urgent Road Safety Measures

This tragic accident has ignited renewed and urgent calls for action from residents and students. They are appealing directly to the Kogi State Government to implement strategic measures to prevent further loss of lives. A colleague of the deceased voiced the community’s frustration, pleading for heavy-duty trucks to be restricted from the Felele route, citing exhaustion from recurring tragedies.

This is not an isolated incident on Lokoja roads. A report in May highlighted a crash along the Obajana–Lokoja road that claimed 19 lives. That event prompted Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to order stricter enforcement of traffic laws. Similarly, six people died in an April accident on the Lokoja–Abuja road, and another crash in October claimed 10 lives on the same Obajana–Lokoja route. The death of Dr. Kemi Emmanuel has intensified demands for lasting solutions to these frequent road accidents.