As part of UK Channel 4 First Cut series, a story was told about a Nigerian student in UK who died alone in his room without being discovered for several months - excerpts of the story -

Lucy talks to the local lads who accidentally kicked a ball into a garden - only to discover 34 year-old Nigerian- born Akinyemi Akinpelu lying dead inside, as he had been for several months. "He had no bed sheets on his bed or anything – nothing at all," explains Mark. "And all his clothes were in suitcases on the floor as if he was just about to pack up and go." Nobody had noticed he was missing. Akinyemi's neighbour, Elaine, remembers him without irony as "a
good neighbour, you didn't know he was there".

But behind the body lies the story of a real person. Akinyemi's college remembers a man who arrived from Nigeria with a suitcase filled with friend Femi, who did not know Aki had died until Cohen told him, £10,000 in university fees, driven by an ambition to make the best
of himself:

"I remember when we were having a lecture there was a professor and he asked us where we would like in be in five years' time. Aki put his hand up and said in five years' time he wanted to go back to Nigeria and start his own engineering company. I thought, 'Wow, that's good'."

Following Akinyemi's many attempts across the years to get a degree, each time thwarted by his inability to afford the fees, Cohen wonders how affected he was by his failure to return to his family in Nigeria with the masters degree he came to the UK to study for. "His family, that keeps coming to mind," says Femi . "It's three years since he died, do they still think he is still alive? How can someone live in these circumstances? Somebody will be looking for him somewhere."

Read the full story here: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/features/Alone-in-life--and.4393845.jp

I watched the documentary. Very pathetic story! My queston is; didn't he have friends? Or is it the normal UK runs ; everybody for himself, God for us all! I can imagine his condition and loneliness before he died! To think that he came to UK with 10,000 pounds! Maybe he'll have been better of in Nigeria!

very sad story may his soul rip.

3 years since he died and his family in Nigeria couldt have even gone searching for him. You son is in a foreign country, you have not heard from him in years and You do nothing about it.

R.I.P My African Brother!!! You will be alright!!!

damn this is deep!

methinks we shoulod start getting friends instead of locking ourselves all day and lookin into cyberspace.

That's really sad.

But lying dead all that time - didn't his neighbours smell anything? Or the postman?

it is so easy my brother. you know here. unless you have a very close family or circle of friends it can easily happen. even if you belong to any of the religious groups.

may his soul rest in peace

idupaul:

methinks we shoulod start getting friends instead of locking ourselves all day and lookin into cyberspace.

friends in uk? u only get them if u r comfortable and working. d guy ran into debts; lots of debt letters were discovered in his room; his friends probably abadoned him because he couldnt meet up with his financial needs; might have died out of frustation.

Why do Nigerians in the uk avoid fellow mates except they are working and comfortable? I think its high time niajas in jand stop the attitude of Me, Myself and I.

may his soul rest in peace. amen

busybody20:

friends in uk? u only get them if you're comfortable and working. d guy ran into debts; lots of debt letters were discovered in his room; his friends probably abadoned him because he couldnt meet up with his financial needs; might have died out of frustation.

Why do Nigerians in the uk avoid fellow mates except they are working and comfortable? I think its high time niajas in jand stop the attitude of Me, Myself and I.

dude,as right as you are,i think its the culture we met here in this country,and you know how we nigerians tend to over do stuffs at times, i have met a couple of nigerians in my university and i stopped greeting them or saying hello because they will look through you ,the girls will automatically think u want to chat them up and worse they actually prefer hanging out with white ppl, if that dead man(GOD rest his soul)didnt even have friends,all he needed to have done is frequent a nigerian restaurant and he ll have made friends, funny thing is that talking about the debt amongst fellow nigerians will lessen the burden and he ll be given advice on how to go abot it