Vigilante operatives at Nana College of Nursing and Medical Sciences in Kogi State allegedly beat 22-year-old nursing student Andrew Ameh to death after mistaking his mental health crisis for an attempted robbery.
A 22-year-old nursing student, Andrew Ameh, was reportedly beaten to death by vigilante operatives attached to the Nana College of Nursing and Medical Sciences in Okpo, Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State. Ameh, a 300-level student at Grimard College of Nursing in Anyigba, had recently been struggling with severe mental health challenges and was undergoing traditional treatment in his hometown. According to a family friend, Daniel Ojotule, the tragic incident occurred around midnight on Sunday after the deceased escaped from his caregivers and wandered onto the college premises while unclothed
The circumstances surrounding the death have sparked significant outrage within the community, as witnesses claim the security personnel failed to recognize Ameh’s clear state of distress. “Ameh was a very good student at the Grimard College of Nursing. He was a 300 Level student of Nursing before his life was tragically truncated by the vigilantes in Okpo,” Ojotule told FIJ. He further explained that Ameh’s family had been desperately searching for him after he fled his treatment facility. “He then ran to the gate of the Nana College of Nursing at Ibana in Okpo. It was there the vigilantes caught him, mistook him for a thief and then beat him to death,” he added.
The killing highlights growing concerns regarding the conduct of local vigilante groups and their ability to distinguish between criminal threats and individuals in need of medical assistance. Following the student’s death, community members have called for a thorough investigation and the prosecution of the operatives involved. “About some months ago, we noticed that he started struggling with his mental health. As a result of that, his people brought him from school to undergo traditional treatment,” Ojotule noted, underscoring the tragic nature of a promising life lost to a violent misunderstanding.
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