‘I'm going to meet my maker’ - Jobless man says before suicide over N2.5m bet loss

In Abia State, Nigeria's southeast, a 31-year-old man named Chukwuma Onoh tragically took his own life after reportedly losing N2.5 million in an online bet.

Desperate to clear a debt of N1.2 million, which he borrowed from friends to supplement his N1.3 million bet, Onoh reached out to a man presumed to be his boss via WhatsApp earlier that day.

In a heartfelt message, Onoh expressed the dire situation he found himself in, stating, 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. This WhatsApp message has since circulated on social media, revealing the gravity of his predicament.

In a subsequent message, Onoh revealed the extent of his financial woes, saying, 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.

His plea for financial assistance was met with a response from the purported boss, expressing his inability to help immediately. Instead, he advised Onoh to ask his creditors to exercise patience with him so that he could clear the debts in instalments.

Tragically, on Tuesday, Onoh posted a disturbing message on his Facebook page, declaring, Today is my last day on earth! I (am) going to meet my maker, without providing a specific reason. He went on further to thank some associates and friends, stating, My spirit is with you all. Less than two hours after making this post, Onoh ingested a toxic substance, presumably Sniper, and was rushed to Madonna Hospital Umuahia by friends. Despite efforts by doctors and nurses to resuscitate him, he was declared dead.

Chisom Ibeako, a friend of Onoh, in an interview with premiumtimesng.com, expressed her heartbreak at witnessing his tragic end at the hospital. She highlighted that despite Onoh's history of helping others in need, he did not confide in his friends or family about his struggles. Ibeako, shocked by the sudden turn of events, regretted not seeing Onoh's Facebook post in time to intervene.

Despite being a university graduate, Onoh was reportedly unemployed, adding another layer of complexity to the challenges he faced.

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