Varsity graduate dies while escaping prankster’s robbery

A fresh graduate of the Department of Quantity Surveying, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Ifunanya Miracle, aka Bliss, has lost her life during an attempt to escape a yet-to-be-identified prankster’s robbery on the premises of the school in the Awka area of Anambra State.

Ifunanya’s friend, identified simply as Peace, a student in the Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, who was also involved in the robbery, sustained varying degrees of injury and was said to have been rushed to the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital for treatment.

PUNCH Metro gathered that Ifunanya, during her studies, engaged in the business of Point-of-Sale operations on the premises of the school.

The graduate was said to have closed her business for the day on Sunday, June 9, 2024, and boarded a tricycle along with Peace to a destination.

The duo were said to be on their way when a passenger, who sat beside them, allegedly attempted to rob them of their valuables.

A student of the school, who does not want to be mentioned in print for fear of victimisation, told our correspondent that in a desperate attempt to escape the robbery, the two students jumped out of the moving tricycle, adding that while Peace sustained injuries, Miracle was unlucky as she hit her head on the ground during the attempt to escape the operation.

The student said, “Miracle just graduated from the university and does a Point-of-Sale operation in the school. The incident happened around 7 pm on June 9, 2024. She does her PoS business at the front of my residence.

“She usually packed her business stuff under the staircase in our compound and the stuff is still there. She packed it and put it back there in the evening. But all of a sudden, we just heard that she was dead.

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“We were like how; she still dropped her stuff under the staircase of our compound on Monday. From what we gathered, she was on a moving tricycle with her friend when a fellow passenger, ordered them to give him their phones.

“While trying to escape, Miracle jumped out of the tricycle and hit her head on the road and by the time she was rushed to the hospital, she had died. Her friend, who also jumped out of the tricycle sustained injuries and she is still in hospital.”

Another student said the man, who ordered the victims to surrender their property, later claimed that he was pranking them, adding that unconfirmed reports indicated that the man had reported himself to the police.

The student said, “We heard the guy has reported himself at the police station and claimed it was a prank. How can he be pranking someone on a moving tricycle? After the incident, we have not heard anything. This lady (Miracle) just died because of the carelessness of some people who claimed to be pranksters.

“It could be that he wanted to rob and when he saw the outcome of his action, he changed the argument to pranking because of what happened. The university has not said anything about the case. The fact that the school has not addressed it is a concern. The girl just did her convocation.

“The girl who died is Ifunanya Miracle, also known as Bliss, and she was a student in the Department of Quantity Surveying. Her friend’s name is Peace, in the Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry. She was hospitalised after the incident.”

The spokesperson for the school, Dr Emmanuel Ojukwu, when contacted for a reaction, confirmed the incident.

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The case was adjourned until July 10, 2024, for further hearing.

The spokesperson for the school, Dr Emmanuel Ojukwu, when contacted on Monday, confirmed the case and noted that the prankster, a final-year student of the school, would face disciplinary measures after Miracle had been buried.

He said, “The university is fully aware of the incident. It was not a robbery but a very expensive prank. The students were told to bring their phones but they didn’t know it was a prank. So, they jumped, one died and one survived.

“The families of the victims and that of the final-year student who pranked the victims have held a meeting with us and it was established that it was a prank.

“The families have reached some agreement and we want the process of the burial to take place before the student that pranked them will face disciplinary measures.

“It was an unfortunate incident; the school regrets it, the student who pranked them regrets it and the family of the concerned student will take responsibility for the funeral of the dead victim and the hospital bill of the other student. We use this opportunity to warn students to avoid expensive pranks that lead to death, the person will face the music.”

Varsity graduate dies while escaping prankster’s robbery