Nigerian MBA Student Oreoluwa Odetunde Found Dead at New York Residence

A Nigerian postgraduate student, Oreoluwa Odetunde, has been found dead at her off-campus residence in New York.

Odetunde was in the first year of a Master of Business Administration programme at the S.C. Johnson College of Business. According to student publication The Cornell Daily Sun, she was an international student who graduated with a degree in Economics from the University of Lagos in 2017.

During her time at Cornell, she participated in several student groups, including the Johnson African Business Society, the Black Graduate Business Association and the Old Ezra Finance Club. She was named a Forté Fellow and a Sage Scholar, distinctions awarded to select MBA candidates.

Odetunde also gained professional experience in research and strategy analysis roles with Anchoria Asset Management and Greenwich Merchant Bank.

In a statement posted on LinkedIn, the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management extended condolences to her family and colleagues.

“We are devastated for Oreoluwa’s family, friends, classmates and instructors and extend our deepest condolences in this difficult time,” the school said.

Her death comes amid recent reports of other Nigerians who have died overseas. In the United Kingdom, footballer Saburi Adeniji died on February 6 following a severe brain stem injury. Another Nigerian student in the UK, Douglas Izevbigie, died in January after battling aggressive leukaemia.