Esther Salifu
The Taraba State University (TSU) community is reeling from two shocking deaths that have thrown the institution and its host community into grief and uncertainty.
The tragic chain of events began with the sudden demise of Comfort Jimtop Oliver, a 100-level Mass Communication student, whose lifeless body was discovered in her boyfriend’s residence in the Bakasi area of Jalingo.
Days later, the body of her boyfriend, Emmanuel Kefas, emerged under mysterious circumstances, deepening the crisis and intensifying police investigations.
Comfort, an indigene of Takum Local Government Area, was found lifeless on Friday afternoon in an apartment reportedly belonging to Kefas, also a student at TSU. The residence, located opposite the university’s Vice-Chancellor’s gate, quickly became the epicenter of a police probe.
When police arrived at the scene, they discovered empty bottles of alcoholic beverages beside the bed where Comfort’s body lay. Strikingly, all tenants of the compound, including Kefas, had vacated the premises before law enforcement officers got there.
Confirming the incident, Taraba State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Leshen James, said:
“When our men arrived at the residence, nobody was found. The boyfriend and other tenants had abandoned the house.”
He noted that investigators had launched a manhunt for Kefas and others who could shed light on the circumstances leading to Comfort’s death.
The university community was plunged into mourning, with students and staff expressing sorrow over the loss of a promising young life.
One of Comfort’s classmates, fighting back tears, said,
“She had dreams. She wanted to be a journalist. We were just starting this journey together. None of us expected it to end like this.”
University officials pledged full cooperation with law enforcement, even as grief weighed heavily on the campus.
In a shocking twist, Emmanuel Kefas the young man earlier accused in connection with Comfort’s death was himself found dead under unclear circumstances in Tudiri, a community in Ardo-Kola Local Government Area of Taraba State.
Police spokesperson ASP James Lashen confirmed the discovery, saying ,
“We received information from the village head of Tudiri in Ardo-Kola that a lifeless body was found. A Tecno Android phone was recovered beside the corpse.”
According to him, when the phone was charged, investigators found a photograph of Kefas with the late Comfort, suggesting a likely romantic relationship.
“The corpse has been evacuated to the Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo, for autopsy. Efforts are ongoing to trace the boy’s family for official identification. The autopsy will also help determine the actual cause of death,” Lashen added.
Authorities have yet to establish whether Kefas’s death was suicide, homicide, or accidental, but investigators are treating it as part of the wider probe.
The deaths of both Comfort and Kefas have left the TSU community and the wider Taraba public in shock, fueling speculation and calls for transparency in the investigation.
For now, police say the case remains open, and the truth behind the tragic chain of events is yet to be uncovered.
