Sanni Hameedat, a 20-year-old student commits suicide after lending N500, 000 to Snapchat acquaintance, she was a student at the University of Ilorin, tragically took her own life after extending a helping hand to a young man she connected with on the social media platform.
Before her untimely demise, Hameedat was actively engaged in her SIWES program, according to a statement released by the private hostel management where she lived.
The heartbreaking cause of her suicide was rooted in financial misappropriation. She had been entrusted with a substantial sum of money by her mother. When she crossed paths with a young man on Snapchat, a person she believed to be in need due to his mother’s alleged battle with breast cancer, Hameedat, known for her compassionate and emotional nature, chose to lend him half of the N1 million earmarked for her mother, with the promise of repayment.
Tragically, after her mother needed the funds returned, the young man abruptly severed all communication, leaving Hameedat deeply troubled. In her desperation to replace the missing N500,000, she resorted to borrowing money from various apps. Hameedat managed to accumulate N450,000 from these loans and supplemented it with her savings of N50,000 to fulfill her mother’s financial commitment.
Her demise was attributed to the mounting pressure from the app agents demanding swift repayment, coupled with her brother’s inability to provide financial assistance, which resulted in severe depression.
It was reported that she had ingested a lethal pesticide known as Sniper the night before her death. Her roommate, who had retired to bed early, awoke in the middle of the night to find Hameedat in severe distress, foaming at the mouth and vomiting. She immediately sought help, and Hameedat was rushed to UITH, but tragically, she was declared dead.
Both the Dean of the Student Affairs Unit, Prof M.T. Yakubu, and the Head of Corporate Affairs, Kunle Akogun, were unavailable for comments as they were engaged in the 37th and 38th combined convocation ceremony starting on October 16, 2023. Nevertheless, the Student Union President, Ologundudu Adesunkanmi, confirmed the incident and pledged a thorough investigation, expressing the deep sorrow within the university community for the devastating loss.
