A 26-year-old Nigerian student identified as Obanyeli Jesse Chima has died in the United Kingdom after suffering an asthma attack days after completing his master’s degree in Public Health and was awaiting graduation.
According to reports, Chima had on Saturday, September 19, 2026 met wih his friend, Eva and her partner to celebrate his birthday when the incident occured.
His friend called an ambulance, yet while his friend was on the phone with the operator, he collapsed.
“Our friend started CPR after being guided by the ambulance operators. Multiple ambulances came, and they spent around two hours working on him to stabilise his heart. They finally got him to the hospital and told us he’s on life support. They said he might only have memory loss, but he will be fine,” Eva said
“Two days later, they said he’s not getting better. There was no improvement. They eventually did a brain test on him and confirmed that he was brain-de@d. On September 25, we lost him. It’s horrible because we were just laughing, and four days later, we had to see his lifeless body.
“The weekend he suffered was the only weekend we all had free – all our birthdays are in September. He, my partner, and I all have our birthdays one day after another. That weekend was our chance to hang out, but instead we ended up at the hospital.”
Chima had worked at Chelsea Football Club, the team he supported, and Eva described him as a ‘beloved and cherished friend who was the life of the party.”
Friends are now trying to raise enough money to transport his body to Nigeria so his family can finally lay him to rest.
