Final-Year Polytechnic Student Dies During Karate Training

A final-year student of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area, has died after collapsing during karate training. The student, identified as John Akpan, was pursuing a Higher National Diploma in Media Studies.

According to a source within the Polytechnic community, Akpan left his off-campus lodge on Saturday, April 12, 2025, for his usual karate training but collapsed shortly after arriving at the training ground. He was immediately rushed to a private hospital in Ikot Ekpene, where doctors referred him to the General Hospital in the area.

President of the Journalism and Media Studies Students Association, Nsoefen Mark Akpan, who witnessed the incident, said the student was pronounced dead on arrival by medical personnel at the General Hospital. Despite the diagnosis, some students, unwilling to accept the outcome, took the body to a church for prayers but were turned away. A spiritualist also attempted to revive him but later declared that the student had “been admitted in the spirit world.”

The remains were eventually returned to the mortuary. The Head of Department, Dr. Inemesit Umore, addressed students at the hospital before the body was officially deposited, following contact with the deceased’s parents.

The student leader, who had written his exams just two days earlier without showing signs of illness, was reportedly the leader of the karate training group and participated in the sessions every Saturday. His sudden death has left the Polytechnic community in shock.