From Isaac Job, Uyo
Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area, is in mourning following the death of Emem Okon Jimmy, a final-year student in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, who was found dead in her room on Friday, July 18.
The deceased was reportedly hale and hearty on Thursday, July 17, 2025, sharing dinner with other tenants at the students’ lodge before retiring to bed. A neighbour, speaking anonymously, revealed that the caretaker of the lodge raised the alarm around 10 p.m. on Friday when Emem was not seen outside all day. Concerned tenants broke into her room by removing part of the roof and ceiling, as the door was locked from the inside. They found Emem wrapped in her bedspread, clutching her cell phone tightly, with blood oozing from her nose and staining the mattress, lying face down and stiff.
The caretaker notified Emem’s elder brother, who travelled from Uyo to Ikot Ekpene and took her body to a mortuary. During a candlelight procession ahead of her burial on Saturday, July 25, 2025, the Head of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Dr Inemesit Umoren, addressed the students, expressing condolences and urging them to prioritise medical check-ups alongside their academic commitments. “It is sad that we lost one of you again. This is the second time we lost a student in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies this year,” Umoren said, adding, “May the soul of the departed rest in peace. We pray it won’t happen again. I sympathise with you people. Take heart! Rest in Peace Emem Jimmy.”
The President of the Journalism and Media Studies Students Association, Hon. Nsoefen Mark Akpan, encouraged students to attend Emem’s burial on Saturday, July 25, 2025, to give her a befitting farewell. “I know our heart is heavy with tears in our eyes, but try and come out for the burial,” he said.
