What Police Told Neusroom About Sanni Hameedat’s Alleged Suicide
Sanni Hameedat, a 300-level student at the University of Ilorin (Unilorin), reportedly took her own life after allegedly lending an online friend ₦500,000.
According to a statement obtained by Neusroom, issued by Rubik Management, the private hostel management where she resided before her passing, Hameedat ingested a bottle of pesticide to end her life. The statement claimed that she lent a friend she met on Snapchat part of the ₦1 million she was holding for her mother.
“The cause of her suicide was traced to financial misappropriation. She crossed paths with a guy on Snapchat, and they developed a friendship.
“When the boy claimed that his mother was battling breast cancer and urgently needed ₦500,000, the compassionate and emotional lady decided to help him by lending him half of the ₦1 million she was holding for her own mother.”
When Neusroom spoke with Grace, a 400-level student of Finance at the institution, she confirmed Hameedat’s demise but failed to confirm Rubik’s claim.
Okasannmi Ajayi, the Superintendent of the Kwara State Police Command, told a Neusroom correspondent that no official report has been filed on the matter and he cannot provide details of the circumstances surrounding Hameedat’s death.
“The Kwara State Command has no information regarding the incident. There is no official communication on the matter with the police command,” Ajayi told Neusroom.
Neusroom also reached out to the management of Unilorin, but the institution, which is preparing for its 37th and 38th combined convocation ceremony, is yet to respond.
Rubik claimed that Hameedat sourced money from several loan apps when the boy failed to repay and was able to gather ₦450,000, which she added to her own savings of ₦50,000 in order to repay her mother.
Recall that in 2022, Neusroom reported how Nigerian lending apps engage in harassment and intimidation in a bid to recover their money.
“Many of the online loan services rely on Nigeria’s culture of shame as a tactic to get customers to pay. This involves getting access to customers’ contacts and sending messages to them. This, they hope, will make the defaulting customer pay. These tactics, however, raise concerns about violation of privacy, intimidation, harassment, and illegality,” the special report reads in part.
It is believed that Hameedat took her life after series of harassment and intimidation she received from the loan apps.
