Ifunanya Miracle, who recently graduated from the Department of Quantity Surveying at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University,  Awka tragically lost her life on Sunday, June 9, 2024, while attempting to escape an alleged robbery by a yet-to-be-identified prankster on the university premises.

The incident also left her friend, Peace, a student in the Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, with serious injuries.

It was gathered that Peace was immediately taken to the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital for medical treatment.

Ifunanya, known for her Point-of-Sale business on campus, had just closed her operations for the day and boarded a tricycle with Peace when the robbery attempt occurred.

Authorities are investigating the incident and have yet to identify the suspect responsible for the fatal prank.

The duo were on their way when a passenger beside them allegedly attempted to rob them of their valuables.

A student, speaking anonymously for fear of victimization, reported that in a desperate attempt to escape the robbery, the two students jumped out of the moving tricycle.

While Peace sustained injuries, Miracle was tragically unlucky, hitting her head on the ground during the escape attempt.

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.

“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 he was pranking them.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that the man subsequently turned himself in 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 school’s spokesperson, Dr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, confirmed the incident on Monday and stated that the prankster, a final-year student, would face disciplinary action following Miracle’s burial.

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.”