100-level OAU student who wanted to see God kills herself over poor grades

A 16-year old 100-level student of Microbiology at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Mercy Afolaranmi, has committed suicide.

Mercy Afolaranmi poisoned herself days after she wrote on Facebook that she wanted to see God’s face and speak with him face to face. She died after drinking “rat poison mixed with battery extract” last Thursday.

Fellow students and a neighbour added that Mercy killed herself due to poor grade.

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES, Obafemi Awolowo University’s Chief Security Officer, Babatunde Oyatokun, said:

“We got a call that one of our students took poison. We got to hospital to realise that she mixed rat poison. She gave us the contact of her parents but before they arrived, she already gave up due to the effect of the poison she took.”

A neighbour, Bimpe Oni, in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, said Miss Afolaranmi, who lived off-campus at Sabo area of Ile-Ife, died on Thursday, after she took “rat poison mixed with battery extract.”

Mrs. Oni said the late student committed suicide because of “emotional pressure.”

A student, Aisha, who was Miss Afolaranmi’s colleague in the Faculty of Science, said the deceased had ‘E’ in CHM101 (Chemistry for first year students), a reportedly dreaded course for year one students in the science and technology related faculties.

“Mercy often isolated herself in class and looked depressed,” said Aisha. “She told me she had ‘E’ in CHM101 and has been going around unhappy before this incident.”

Another student in the Faculty of Student, Opeyemi, said “she took poison because of result.”