Two people traveling in a bus conveying some final year students of Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso, returning from a picnic, along Osogbo/Ifon/Oyo Boundary road, have been burnt to death in an accident late Wednesday evening.

Five other occupants were rescued by the operatives of Osun Ambulance Scheme that responded to the distress call from the scene of the accident which happened near Ojutu Bridge, Ilobu.

A resident of Okinni, identified as Adeyanju, who spoke to newsmen on Thursday, said the driver of the bus conveying the victims, had hit a commercial motorcyclist in the town, and was trying to escape the rage of some angry residents chasing after him.

“Few meters from Ojutu Bridge, the driver lost control of the vehicle and the bus somersaulted and caught fire.

Some people were rescued before the fire could spread, but three people were burnt to death. Operatives of O’Ambulance Scheme came around to rescue some of the victims,” Adeyanju said.

During an interview with newsmen, the Head of Operations, Elizabeth Arowosafe, said the organisation received the distress call around 9:50pm on Wednesday that a bus conveying some final year students of LAUTECH, returning from a picnic was involved in the accident.

She said, “We responded around 9:53pm. I was told the driver had hit someone in Okinni and was speeding to avoid some people around the area chasing after him, when the incident happened.

“The driver alongside a lady and a male student were burnt to death. We were able to rescue 5 people. We rushed them to UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital in Osogbo.

The hospital did well. In fact, there was no enough space to accommodate the injured people and we had to leave one of our stretchers for them to use.

“We could not recognise the dead victims. They were travelling inside a bus. I learnt that the occupants of the bus are final year students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, who went to Erin-Ijesa waterfall for an excursion.

“One of the injured students confirmed to us that they were coming from an excursion. She gave us names of victims, but she didn’t have the strength to name the others.”

Also commenting on the crash, the Public Relations Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Agnes Ogungbemi, said the accident was caused by violation of speed limit which led to loss of control.

A graduate of Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, Edo State, identified as Precious Ogbeide, has attempted suicide over the alleged university’s refusal to issue him and several other students their results after they graduated from school in 2018.

It was learned that Ogbeide, whose parents claimed he had been battling depression due to his inability to be issued his results after spending five years in the school, started to stab himself with pieces of a bottle he had broken.

Some aggrieved students of the school had lamented the inability to receive their degree results after spending five years undergoing the programme, claiming that the situation had demoralised them.

According to them, they are facing a bleak future as a result of the development.

It was learned from the aggrieved students that the tertiary institution had been promising them that the backlog of results would be cleared and students who were yet to be mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps scheme would be settled.

However, a source, who was privy to Monday’s incident, told newsmen that Ogbeide became frustrated and decided to end his life over the matter.

The source, who craved anonymity, said, “I received a call at about 3:30 pm on Monday that Ogbeinde had been rushed to the hospital. I was told he had been showing signs of depression and that they had tried to help in every possible way they could.

“The mother told me that he just stood up all of a sudden with a bottle and smashed it on the floor. They told me it was a slip. But he started to pierce his neck and body with the pieces of the broken bottle.

“It was the efforts of his relative present at the time of the incident that overpowered him before he was rushed to the hospital where he is currently receiving treatment.

“He said he was tired of everything. He said he had not been able to face his parents and family members after going to school for five years without any result to show for it.

“He could not get a job because they kept asking him to provide his certificate. He said any time he met those who could help him get a job, they would tell him to wait for his result. He was just fed up with the whole thing and became frustrated that his future was on hold.”

Meanwhile, the school, through the Head of Corporate Communications and Protocol, Mike Aladenika, had told newsmen that the students affected by certificate and result issues might have had issues with some courses during their time in school.

“If you had graduated and done all you were asked to do while you were a student, you would not have problems with your results.

“Some of the students who did not take cognizance of the deficiencies they had with their courses are the ones facing these challenges,” Aladenika stated.

Covenant University, University of Ibadan and the Federal University of Technology, Akure have secured top ranking in Nigeria according to Times Higher Education’s 2024 rating.

Analysis of the latest ranking showed that Covenant University is among the top 1,000 universities in the world.

Though ranked first in Nigeria, Covenant University is placed within the global 801-1000 range.

Covenant University, a private-owned institution, stands at the top spot in Nigeria, while the University of Ibadan followed in second and FUTA emerged third.

The University of Lagos and the University of Bayero emerged fourth and fifth in Nigeria, respectively.

The Ranking Web said the World University ranking includes 1,904 universities across 108 countries and regions.

“The Times Higher World University ranking includes 1,904 universities across 108 countries and regions.

“The table is based on our new WUR 3.0 methodology, which is carefully calibrated performance indicators that measure an institution’s performance across five areas; teaching, research environment, research quality, industry and international outlook.”

Others universities that achieve the top ranking is Nigeria include the University of Ilorin, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Afe Babalola University, University of Benin, Federal Univ of Agric, Abeokuta, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Lagos State University, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Port Harcourt.

Among the 15 top universities, nine are located in the South West, two in the South East, two in the South South, one in the North West and one in the North Central.