20-year-old UNILORIN student commits suicide after ‘online lover’ absconded with N500,000 she lent him for his mother’s ‘breast cancer treatment’

A 20-year-old student from the University of Ilorin, identified as Sanni Hameedat, reportedly took her own life after lending a boy she met on the social media platform Snapchat a sum of N500,000.

The private hostel management where she lived, Rubiks, confirmed the tragic event to Punch in a statement on October 18, 2023.

According to the management, Hameedat was in the midst of her SIWES (Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme) program when this unfortunate incident occurred.

She had tried to borrow money from loan apps and according to the management, the cause of her death was attributed to the pressure from the app’s representatives, who were insisting on prompt repayment. This, along with her brother’s inability to assist her financially, led to a state of depression.

“The cause of suicide was traced to financial misappropriation. She was entrusted with a significant sum of money by her mother. She crossed paths with a guy on Snapchat and developed a friendship,” the statement said. 

“When the boy claimed that his mother was battling breast cancer and urgently needed N500,000, the compassionate and emotional lady decided to help him by lending him half of the N1 million she held for her mother. And the boy promised to repay the borrowed money

“However, when her mother needed the money back, the boy abruptly cut off all up all contact, blocking her. This left her deeply troubled and in order for her to make up the missing N500,000, she resorted to borrowing money from various apps.”

Hameedat, therefore, managed to gather N450,000 from the loan apps, adding her savings of N50,000 to make up the borrowed N500,000.

The management further maintained that she was reported to have ingested a bottle of pesticide popularly known as Sniper the previous night, and her roommate (name withheld), who had retired to bed early, woke up in the middle of the night to discover her in distress while she was foaming from her mouth and also vomiting.

“Alarmed, the roommate sought help, and she was rushed to UITH before being declared dead,” the statement concluded.

The Student Union President, Ologundudu Adesunkanmi, popularly called Royal Prince, confirmed the incident 

“The Vice-Chancellor, Dean of Student Affairs are very much aware of the issue, and they have reported to the appropriate authority to begin a full-length investigation into the matter. It is sad that the university community lost her in such a devastating manner,” he stated.