OAU Declares 300-Level Student Missing, Launches Search Operation

Obafemi Awolowo University has declared 300-level Chemistry student Dorcas Oseghale missing after she failed to return from a trip to buy food, prompting a university-led search and police investigation.

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has declared a 300-level student, Dorcas Oseghale, missing and has intensified efforts to find her.

According to the university’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, Dorcas, a student of the Department of Chemistry (Matric No: CHM/2021/165), was last seen on the evening of Wednesday, August 6, 2025, around 8:00 p.m. She left her residence at Adesanmi House along Ibadan Road to buy food near the Students’ Village on Ede Road but never returned.

Her roommate grew concerned when Dorcas didn’t return and attempts to reach her by phone failed, as both her lines were unreachable.

By 3:00 p.m. the following day, reports of her disappearance spread across student social media platforms. The university’s Security Unit promptly began monitoring discussions and collecting information.

At about 6:10 p.m., a group of students from the Chemistry Department, along with Dorcas’s roommate, Akinkuade Omobolanle Beatrice from Agricultural Extension, formally reported her missing to the Security Unit.

Given the complexity of the case, the university assigned three security personnel to assist in preliminary investigations. These findings were handed over to the Nigerian Police, who are now leading the investigation due to their resources and expertise.

Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, Vice-Chancellor of OAU, commended the students for their swift action and solidarity, describing their efforts as admirable. He urged anyone with useful information about Dorcas’s whereabouts to contact the nearest police station or the university’s Security Unit.

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SOURCES: ALLSCHOOL, BUSINESS DAY