Aro Hospital Under Pressure as SUG and NANS Threaten Mass Protest Over Student Nurse’s Death

Aro Hospital Under Pressure as SUG and NANS Threaten Mass Protest Over Student Nurse’s Death

The Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, is facing growing pressure after the Students’ Union Government (SUG) and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) separately demanded answers over the death of a student nurse and warned of possible mass protest.

Taiwo Godwin Ayodeji, a student of the School of Psychiatric Nursing at the hospital, died after an asthma attack. Both student bodies have raised concerns about the emergency response he received and are calling for transparency and accountability.

SUG lists five demands

In an official statement signed by General Secretary Oluwabukunmi Agnes Olufemi, the SUG said the incident began during an evening football game on the school field. After leaving the game, Ayodeji contacted a friend while experiencing an asthma attack. After exhausting his inhaler, his condition deteriorated and he was taken to the hospital.

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According to the account presented to the SUG by a student who accompanied him, there was a considerable delay before a doctor attended to the patient. The statement also alleged difficulties with oxygen delivery equipment and establishing intravenous access, and that students present had to draw attention to Ayodeji’s worsening condition.

The SUG further claimed that a pulse was detected several hours after he had initially been pronounced dead. Resuscitation efforts were resumed and he was moved to the Intensive Care Unit, but he did not survive.

The union called for five specific actions:

1. A thorough and impartial investigation into the timeline of events, the emergency response, and the circumstances surrounding the pronouncement of death.
2. A comprehensive review of the General Medical and Psychiatric Unit’s emergency care capacity, including medications, oxygen equipment, resuscitation facilities, and trained personnel.
3. A formal response from hospital management addressing the concerns raised.
4. Appropriate corrective measures based on investigation findings to prevent a recurrence.
5. Respectful treatment of the deceased and support for his family, friends, and colleagues.

The SUG also demanded the immediate closure of the General Medical and Psychiatric Unit to routine operations until its capacity to provide safe emergency care is properly assessed.

NANS issues 24-hour ultimatum

Separately, NANS Ogun Joint Campus Council has given the hospital management 24 hours to publicly explain the circumstances of the death or face the possibility of a mass protest.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Comrade Olabode Faruq (Success), NANS said the incident raises serious questions about patient safety, emergency medical response, and the standard of healthcare delivery at the facility. The body demanded an independent autopsy review, an assessment of the hospital’s emergency capacity and personnel, and intervention by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako.

NANS warned that failure to provide a satisfactory explanation within the stipulated time could lead it to mobilise students across Ogun State for a protest at the hospital.

“The life of a Nigerian student matters, and allegations surrounding the circumstances of his death deserve immediate answers,” the statement said.

Mounting pressure

The two statements place the hospital under simultaneous pressure from its own student body and the wider student movement. While the SUG has focused on internal demands and a possible temporary closure of the emergency unit, NANS has escalated the matter with a public ultimatum and the threat of street protest.

Hospital management has not yet issued a public response to either statement. The specific allegations about delays, equipment, and the handling of the death have not been independently verified.

For student nurses and the broader nursing community, the case highlights long-standing concerns about emergency preparedness and the standard of care available when staff or students themselves require urgent medical attention. A transparent investigation that examines both the individual circumstances of Ayodeji’s death and the hospital’s emergency capacity remains the clearest route to establishing the facts and determining what, if any, corrective measures are needed.

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