A final year student of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka identified as Tobechukwu Okeke has committed suicide, Premium Times has reported.
According to the online news outlet, the deceased’s body was found on Sunday morning dangling from a rope in his room in Odenigwe, a community in Nsukka, Enugu State.
Okeke’s last Facebook posts showed he had been involved in the controversial Ponzi scheme, Mavrodi Mondial Movement (MMM).
His penultimate post in September reads: “MMM is enriching lives of millions of Nigerians everyday. If you care to join or you have any questions please send me a message or comment below.”
A neighbour who pleaded anonymity quoted a suicide note allegedly left behind by Okeke.
It reads: “Mother, Father, brother, I’m sorry. Ify, may your children never suffer. Uncle Mathias, you gave me all. I am sorry. Death calls. Linguistic department, I am sorry. Okeke Tobechukwu S. 2012/185649.”
UNN Dean of Student Affairs, Prof Uju Umo, confirmed the incident, adding that the deceased’s family had not officially informed the institution.
“I travelled for a burial last weekend and yesterday I got a text message saying a student had committed suicide,” said Umo.
“It happened at Odenigwe, one of the host communities outside the school and I was told he left a suicide note apologising to his fellow gamblers.”
Chukwu Emmanuel, the university’s Student Union President, also confirmed the incident, and said the matter was being investigated.
“There’s no concrete detail for now,” he added.
People close to the deceased, however, believe he committed suicide because he owed “too much money.”
“The guy is an ardent gambler. He comes to British Lodge to gamble. He borrows money to gamble. And he has borrowed a lot of money just to gamble,” one of his colleagues told Premium Times.
Another colleague of the deceased who also did not want to be named said Okeke was given an electrical wiring job to do at the Department of Linguistics in the university because of his expertise in electrical works.
“I saw him this (Sunday) morning, he seemed to have a problem which he needed money to solve,” the colleague added.
