The Obafemi Awolowo University has asked the public to assist security agencies with details on the whereabouts of a 300-level Chemistry student, Dorcas Oseghale.

Its spokesman, Abiodun Olanrewaju, said in a statement that the university had intensified efforts to locate the missing student.

Mr. Olanrewaju stated that the institution had since sought the assistance of the police in the search for Ms Oseghale, who was last seen on Wednesday evening at approximately 8:00 p.m.

Explaining the circumstances leading to the student’s sudden disappearance, the spokesperson noted that the student had left her hostel to buy food but never returned, and her phone subsequently became unreachable.

Mr Olanrewaju said, “When Dorcas, who resides at Adesanmi House, Ibadan Road, Ile-Ife, said that she was going out to buy food in front of the students’ village, along Ede road axis of the university, did not return on time, her roommate then made several attempts to reach her on phone but surprisingly discovered that her two lines were not reachable.

“At around 3:00 p.m. on the 7th of August, 2025, a report of a missing female student was intercepted on a student’s social media platform, and the security unit of the university started tracking the conversation around the incident.

“But around 6:10 p.m. on the same day, a group of students from the Department of Chemistry, in search of the missing student, alongside a female student (Akinkuade Omobolanle Beatrice), from the Department of Agricultural Extension, identified as her roommate, reported a case of a missing student at the security unit of the university.”

The spokesperson added that the university had handed the case over to the police authority due to limited internal resources and the need for professional police expertise.

The institution’s vice-chancellor, Simeon Bamire, praised the students for promptly reporting the incident, highlighting their vigilance in noticing the disappearance.

Meanwhile, the Great Ife Students’ Union and the leadership of the National Association of University Students in Osun have called for calm.