“I Woke Up and Saw My Friends Lying Lifeless”: UNN Survivor Recounts Party Tragedy

A 24-year-old student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, has recounted how he lost consciousness at an off-campus party, only to regain it hours later and find his friends lying motionless on the floor.

The account was given to Vanguard’s Crime Editor from his hospital bed on Thursday, November 13, 2026, as police continue to investigate the deaths of four students at a sign-out celebration in Nsukka, Enugu State, ValidViewNetwork reports .

THE PARTY

The survivor, an Art Education student, said the gathering was organised by his friend, David, to celebrate the completion of his final examinations .

The host bought two bottles of alcoholic drinks, Magic Moment and Best, which they took to his residence at Hilltop, Nsukka, where about 10 people gathered for the celebration.

The party started around 11:30 a.m. The participants shared the drinks while engaging in a Truth and Dare game for entertainment .

THE COLLAPSE

The first sign of trouble came when one of the participants started vomiting. The survivor took him to the toilet and asked him to clean himself up. He then came out to clean the vomit on the floor .

“After that, I suddenly lost consciousness,” he said. “However, I noticed that my legs had become stiff, and I could no longer walk”. He regained consciousness at about 9 p.m. What he saw when he woke up will haunt him for the rest of his life. “When I regained consciousness at about 9 p.m., I heard someone saying that a ghost was shaking. I woke up and managed to look into the parlour, where I saw the host and other participants lying on the floor” .

THE AFTERMATH

The survivor said he immediately contacted a friend, who came to the house, saw their condition, and left. He expressed disappointment that another person who reportedly arrived at the scene started recording them instead of making efforts to rescue them.

He subsequently contacted another friend, who came and helped convey them to Bishop Shanahan Hospital and other hospitals in Nsukka for medical attention .

THE CAUSE

The survivor dismissed suggestions that the participants might have taken illicit drugs, insisting that alcohol was the only substance consumed at the gathering .

“We didn’t smoke, and there was no drug there. We took only alcohol. We had just two bottles for about 10 people, so the quantity each person drank was very little, not even up to a quarter of a party cup,” he said .

He explained the circumstances surrounding the gathering: the participants were inside the parlour with the doors and windows shut, while a generator was operating outside in the corridor. The fan inside the room was switched on.

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THE POLICE QUESTIONS

The police asked whether the participants had any disagreement with anyone or whether he suspected that somebody might have tampered with the drinks .

“People have been asking me whether someone poisoned the drinks. Even the police officers who came asked whether we had issues with anyone or suspected anybody,” he said. “But the host is not someone who keeps malice. I also saw him lying on the floor when I regained consciousness” .

THE UNIVERSITY’S RESPONSE

The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon Otuanya, had visited the survivor to ascertain his state of health. Local government representatives, friends, and police officers had also visited .

The survivor disclosed that his legs were still stiff despite gradual improvement in his condition .

THE ANALYTICAL LENS

Four students are dead. Six others were hospitalised. One survived to tell the story.

The survivor’s account points to a cause that is as mundane as it is deadly: a generator running outside a shut room, with a fan pulling fumes into the parlour.

Carbon monoxide is odourless, colourless, and lethal. It does not announce itself. It simply puts you to sleep and never wakes you up.

The doors and windows were shut. The generator was outside. The fan was on. It is a combination that kills silently, and it kills quickly.

The survivor’s insistence that no drugs were involved is consistent with the evidence. Two bottles of alcohol shared among ten people is not a binge. It is not an overdose. It is a party that should have ended with laughter, not with a hospital bed and a body bag.

But the police must still investigate. The survivor himself acknowledged that questions about poisoning have been raised. The answers will come from toxicology reports, from the autopsy, from the evidence.

Until then, the families of the dead will wait for answers that no answer can truly satisfy.

The party was meant to celebrate the end of exams. It ended in a morgue. And a 24-year-old student will carry the memory of his friends lying lifeless on the floor for the rest of his life. ValidViewNetwork reports.