A 20-year-old student, Sanni Hameedat of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) has reportedly committed suicide after her Snapchat boyfriend’s failure to refund N500,000 borrowed for his mum’s cancer treatment.
According to reports, Hameedat, a 300-level student of the university was participating in her SIWES program when the incident occurred.
She reportedly drank a bottle of pesticide known as Sniper and was found reeling in pain when her roommate (name withheld), who had gone to bed early, woke up in the middle of the night to find her in distress.
Hameedah was said to have been pronounced dead on arrival at the school clinic where she was rushed to.
A source who confirmed the incident said the cause of her death was not unrelated to the pressure from the loan shark agents, who were pressuring her after she defaulted in her repayment plan.
“From what I understand, the deceased (Hameedat) was troubled by a financial situation she encountered. Her mother allegedly trusted her with a substantial amount of money, but she was defrauded by a man she met on Snapchat.
“From what I understand, the deceased (Hameedat) was troubled by a financial situation she encountered. Her mother allegedly trusted her with a substantial amount of money, but she was defrauded by a man she met on Snapchat.
“The fraudster claimed that she urgently needed N400,000 to treat his mother, who allegedly had breast cancer. Hammedat, who had N1m she held for her mother, then decided to lend her friend the money in the hopes that he would repay her.
“However, when her mother needed the money back, the boy abruptly cut off all contact, blocking her.
Troubled, Hameedat, took to loan apps to raise over N400,000, which he added to her other savings to make up the N500,000 she gave out to her friend.
“Eventually, Hammedat found herself in a cycle of debt, struggling to repay the borrowed money and facing financial difficulties.
“When we last saw her, about 11:00 p.m. yesterday, she told us she was going shopping. We discovered she had consumed Sniper around 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Her roommate, who had gone to bed early (name withheld), had woken up in the middle of the night to find her in difficulty and vomiting and foaming at the mouth.
In a statement, management of Rubiks, the private hostel, where the deceased lived prior to her death, claimed that the app agents had pressured her to repay the money which led to her action.
Unilorin SUG president, Ologundudu Adesunkanmi, confirmed the incident.
“The Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Student Affairs have notified the relevant authorities to initiate a comprehensive inquiry into the matter,” he stated.
Her fellow undergraduates conversant with the issue said she had threatened to commit suicide since last week when operators of the loan apps resorted to sending demeaning text messages to her friends, relations and parents.
