UTME Candidate Drowns At Hotel During Birthday Celebration

• Cameraman drowns after shooting movie
Afeez Hanafi

The families of a candidate of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination in Awka , Anambra State , John Ezekwe, and a cameraman in Lagos , Victor , have been thrown into mourning after they drowned on Saturday.

John Ezekwe,

While Ezekwe drowned in the swimming pool of a hotel on Old INEC Road, Awka South, Victor was found dead in a river in the Badagry area of Lagos after shooting a movie .

PUNCH Metro learnt that Ezekwe had gone to the hotel for a friend ’ s birthday when the incident happened .

He was said to be a Joint Universities Preliminary Examinations Board ( JUPEB ) student at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University , Awka , and reportedly scored 250 in the UTME which he wrote last Friday.

One of his friends , who identified himself as Etz Perfect , said his mother had tried to stop him from going to the party , but he refused.

Perfect described Ezekwe as a promising youth , lamenting that his loss was hard to bear .

“Why you ? Why now? So your future is now shattered. What will happen to your JAMB ( UTME ) result ? Such a meaningless world indeed . God knows the best for you . Rest in the bosom of the Almighty . He alone has the right over us . I believe He is aware of this . God why ? Why him ? Must it be our youths ? You promised us long life and prosperity, but our youths are dying .
Jay Jay (Ezekwe ), you were such a nice person . I will miss you dear . I can ’ t stop crying . Jayblaq is gone forever .
“ Mr . and Mrs. Ezekwe, take heart ; we are dust and to dust we shall return . Nobody is too young to die . Such is life . RIP Jay Jay , RIP Mathematician . Heaven will receive you , ” she wrote in a post on Facebook .
Perfect has yet to reply to a message sent to her by our correspondent requesting further details on the incident .

Efforts to get the comment of the hotel management proved abortive as calls made to the line of its contact person , one Mr . Oke, indicated that it was switched off.

He had also yet to reply to a text message sent to him .
The Police Public Relations Officer in Anambra , Nkeiruka Nwode , said she had not be briefed on the incident .
“ I am going to find out and get back to you , ” she added .

In the Lagos incident , the 25 – year- old cameraman was said to have followed 14 others to Ojota Village to shoot a movie around 2 pm on Saturday.
They were said to be relaxing after the exercise when he reportedly left to swim in a river around the location.

He was rescued by local divers in the area and rushed to the Badagry General Hospital , where he was confirmed dead .

The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command , SP Chike Oti , confirmed the incident , adding that the address of the victim had yet to be located .

He said , “ Around 4 pm on Saturday, one Henry Ekenna came to the police that he and 14 others went to Ojota Village to shoot a movie and after they had finished, the cameraman left where others were resting to swim and later got drowned in the river .

“ The victim was rushed to the general hospital where he was confirmed dead while detective s visited the scene . ”
Punch