TRAGIC LOSS: AKWA IBOM POLYTECHNIC STUDENT DIES DURING KARATE TRAINING. (PHOTO).

 Tragic Loss: Akwa Ibom Polytechnic Student Dies During Karate Training

A final-year student of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, identified only as John, tragically slumped and died during a karate training session on Saturday in Ikot Osurua, Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area.

According to a source close to the polytechnic community, the Higher National Diploma student in the Department of Media Studies left his off-campus lodge for the routine training. Upon entering the training pitch, he collapsed. He was immediately rushed to a private hospital in Ikot Ekpene and subsequently referred to the General Hospital, where a doctor pronounced him dead on arrival.

Mr. Nsoefen Mark Akpan, president of the Journalism and Media Studies Students Association and a witness to the incident, said shocked students refused to accept the doctor’s report. They took John’s body to a church for prayers, hoping for a miracle, but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. A spiritualist reportedly claimed John had already “been admitted to the spirit world.” The body was later returned to the mortuary.

Akpan expressed disbelief at the sudden loss, noting that John, the leader of the karate group, had shown no signs of illness. “He wrote exams last Thursday and was fine,” Akpan said, adding that John trained every Saturday morning.

The Head of the Department, Dr. Inemesit Umore, visited the hospital to address grieving students before they dispersed. The deceased’s parents have been contacted, and the body remains in the mortuary as the polytechnic community mourns the untimely death of a vibrant student.