Authorities at the University College Hospital in Ibadan say that a 300-level medical student from the University of Ibadan (name withheld) died after taking an insecticide on Sunday night.
The PUNCH said that another student found him on the ground floor of Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall, where he was frothing from the mouth and confused.
The victim is said to have admitted to using the insecticide, known as Sniper, before passing out.
It was learned yesterday that the student’s roommates quickly told the hall management, who then called the Students’ Union transport service to take him to Jaja Clinic. He was first stabilized with oxygen and IV fluids before being moved to the UCH’s emergency unit, where he was put on life support.
Funmi Adetuyibi, the UCH Public Relations Officer, confirmed the boy’s death, saying, “The boy died on Sunday evening.” The UCH acted on the report that the student had taken Sniper and brought him in. Sadly, he did not make it.
The student’s parents, who live in Akure, Ondo State, were called to the hospital before he died. During questioning, they are said to have brought up the idea of poisoning. His roommates, on the other hand, said that he had confessed to using the insecticide and that he had recently been introverted, missed classes, and avoided calls from his parents.
The incident comes as the advocacy group Suicide Is No Solution Initiative repeated its appeals to stop the rise of skits about suicide on social media, saying that this kind of content is hurtful to people who are thinking about killing themselves or are going through a hard time.
The warning comes after an online fight between content producer King Mitchy and influencer VeryDarkMan, who were both in separate skits where they allegedly drank a chemical that was said to be bleach.
In a statement yesterday, the volunteer-run nonprofit that works to lower the number of deaths by suicide through public education and campaigning claimed that this kind of content could hurt ongoing efforts to stop people from hurting themselves.
Toye Arulogun, the Project Coordinator, stressed how important the problem is by saying, “Suicide is a serious public health issue and should not be made fun of online.” In the last few weeks, there has been an increase in irresponsible content that promotes suicide, and some corporations have even been linked to the act.
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