In Abia State, located in Nigeria‘s South-east, a 31-year-old man named Chukwuma Onoh reportedly took his own life after losing N2.5 million in an online bet.
To fund his unsuccessful wager, the deceased had borrowed N1.2 million from friends and combined it with his N1.3 million.
On the same day, Mr. Onoh had reached out to a man believed to be his boss via WhatsApp, seeking assistance to settle a debt of N1.2 million resulting from the unsuccessful bet.
“The only option is to end my life as I cannot live with the shame. I have turned into a gambler because of no job, and right now, I am at a point if I don’t redeem my debt, I might kill myself to pay the debt,” he reportedly wrote in a viral WhatsApp message.
On social media, a screenshot of the victim and the man’s WhatsApp conversation has been making the rounds.
“I used N2,500,000 to place a bet and N1.2 m is not my own and if I don’t pay up today. I will be dead by the time you read this message. As I type this message, I am where I want to buy a sniper,” he added.
The man informed Mr. Onoh that he was currently unable to provide any financial assistance and advised the victim to request a “hold on” from his creditors in order to pay the debts in installments.
How it started
On Tuesday, Mr Onoh dropped a suicide note on his Facebook page which prompted some of his friends to reach out to him.
“Today is my last day on earth! I (am) going to meet my maker,” he wrote without giving a reason.
The victim thanked some of his associates and friends.
“My spirit is with you all,” he told them.
Mr Onoh, who hailed from Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State, was said to have taken the sniper less than two hours after making the post on his Facebook page.
He was later rushed to Madonna Hospital Umuahia by friends but was declared dead by the doctors on duty.
‘Heartbroken’
One of his friends, Chisom Ibeako, confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday morning.
Ms Ibeako said she was “heartbroken” watching the victim die at the hospital despite efforts by doctors and nurses to resuscitate him.
She expressed surprise that the victim would take his own life despite often helping to mobilise funds for various persons in difficulty, regretting that she did not see the victim’s Facebook post on time.
“Some of his friends who saw his post first thought it was a joke until he did a live video. But as at the time, he has already taken the sniper,” she said.
Ms Ibeako said the victim was not opening up to his friends and based on her interactions with the late Onoh’s sisters at the hospital, the victim did not also open up to his family members.
She said although the victim was a university graduate, he was not engaged in any known job.
Sniper, a highly toxic pesticide, has lately been used by some Nigerians to commit suicide.
When contacted on Wednesday morning, the police spokesperson in Abia State, Maureen Chinaka, said she was attending a conference outside the state and would not be able to comment on the incident at the moment.
“I will get back to you later,” said Ms Chinaka, an assistant superintendent of police.
Outrage
The incident has triggered widespread condemnation from Nigerians on social media.
While some expressed dismay at the victim’s decision to take his own life due to a lost bet, others directed their anger towards the perceived lack of awareness from his friends about his financial struggles.
Onyebuchi Ezeleonu, a Facebook user, went so far as to accuse the victim of being motivated by greed.
“Whatever that had made you take this path, doesn’t worth it. You allowed the pressure of the world and that of fake life to overwhelm you,” Mr Ezeleonu wrote.
Abuchi Obika, another Facebook user, expressed anger that the victim’s friends did not notice that he was in trouble before now.
“Those who are talking trash claimed to be closer to him, yet don’t know what he was passing through,” he stated.