Police in Ondo State have confirmed that two students from the Ondo State-owned Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, died after drowning in a hotel pool in the town.
It was stated that the victims were new students who had just started college.
Yesterday, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, the state police command’s spokesperson, claimed that a report showed that on January 29, 2026, a 19-year-old named Adegbola Blessing was found unconscious in the hotel’s swimming pool.
On January 29, 2026, the Akungba Divisional Police Headquarters got a report from Shittu, a man who was the pool manager at Unibercity Lounge and Hotel in Akungba-Akoko. The report was about a bad event that happened during a swimming pool party the hotel threw for new students.
The report says that about 8:00 PM on the same day, a 19-year-old man named Adegbola Blessing was found unconscious in the hotel’s swimming pool. The pool manager quickly saved him and gave him first aid.
According to the PPRO, “the victim reportedly regained consciousness, was able to stand, and was then taken home by his friends.”
“Not long after that, another man, Oludere Opeyemi, 22, was found comatose in the swimming pool. He was quickly saved and taken to the State Hospital in Ikare-Akoko, where medical staff later verified that he had died, he said.
He also said that Ayomide Badejo, the hotel manager, and the pool manager were both asked to come in for questioning as part of the early investigation.
The police spokeswoman also said that the first victim, who had been saved before, died subsequently.
“More things happened in the early hours of January 30, 2026, at about 0700hrs, when the first victim, Adegbola Blessing, was said to have died,” he said.
He said that the Command’s monitoring team has taken over the case for more inquiry.
He said that the bodies of the dead people have been put in the morgue at the state hospital, Ikare-Akoko, to be preserved and autopsied.
In response to the sad events, Adebowale Lawal, the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, told all hotel owners and operators in the state to make the safety and health of their guests their top priority by putting in place the right safety measures so that these kinds of things don’t happen again.
He asked the people to stay calm and not guess what might happen next, as more information will be shared as the inquiry moves on.
