A 20-year-old student named Sanni Hameedat, who attended the University of Ilorin, tragically took her own life after lending a boy she met on Snapchat the sum of N500,000.
According to a statement from the private hostel management where she lived, Hameedat was undergoing her SIWES program at the time of the incident.
Her death was attributed to the pressure from Snapchat agents demanding quick repayment, combined with her brother’s financial inability, which led to her experiencing depression.
The reason for her suicide can be traced back to financial misappropriation.
She had been entrusted with a significant sum of money by her mother and had developed a friendship with a boy on Snapchat.
This boy claimed that his mother was battling breast cancer and urgently needed N500,000, prompting Hameedat to compassionately lend him half of the N1 million she held for her mother, with the promise of repayment.
However, when her mother needed the money back, the boy abruptly cut off all contact, leaving her distressed.
To make up the missing N500,000, she resorted to borrowing money from various apps.
Hameedat managed to gather N450,000 from loan apps and added her savings of N50,000 to make up the borrowed N500,000.
Unfortunately, she was reported to have ingested a bottle of pesticide known as Sniper the previous night, and her roommate discovered her in distress, foaming from her mouth and vomiting. She was rushed to UITH but was declared dead.
The university officials, including the Dean of the Student Affairs Unit and the Head of Corporate Affairs, were unavailable for comment due to their involvement in the 37th and 38th combined convocation ceremony that started on October 16, 2023.
However, the Student Union President, Ologundudu Adesunkanmi, confirmed the incident and stated that an investigation into the matter was underway. It is a devastating loss for the university community.
More details to follow.
