A young man in his early 30s, identified as Utibe Eteffia, tragically ended his life by ingesting poison after falling victim to cybercriminals commonly referred to as Yahoo Boys, who wiped his bank account of N2.5 million.
AFRIPOST gathered that Eteffia ran a Point-of-Sale (POS) business and had recently shown signs of emotional distress and suicidal thoughts.
He reportedly posted an image of a burning candle on social media with a message resembling a farewell: “Do you believe in reincarnation?”
He also urged his followers to “be their brothers’ keeper by showing love and helping those in need.”
Residents in his neighbourhood said he became withdrawn in the days leading up to his death and even began posting a countdown online. One neighbour recalled, “Sometimes, he would remain in his house crying.
Some nights, he would make calls to people till even 4:00 am. About one week after committing suicide, he came to my house, asking me if I had rat poison.
“When I probed further, he explained that he wanted to use it to clear some rodents in his house.”
The neighbour added that Eteffia eventually purchased the poison from a local chemist before travelling to his hometown, Ini Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, where he took his own life.
Orphaned at a young age, Eteffia had been raised by his aunt, who supported his education up to secondary school.
He later relied on financial aid from family and friends to establish his POS business.
In a desperate attempt to navigate the country’s economic hardship, Eteffia reportedly became involved in an online fraud ring. Using his iPhone, he was introduced to a Yahoo-Plus cult group on social media, which ultimately duped him and left him mentally destabilized.
Sources said his encounter with the group severely altered his perception, driving him into a spiral of hopelessness.
A family member recounted that after travelling home from Uyo to Ini, Eteffia asked relatives if they would attend church.
When they responded that they preferred to pray at home, he requested a loan from his uncle. The uncle gave him N10,000, to which Eteffia replied, “How much can N10,000 do?”
Later that evening, he attended church, returned home, and waited until the family had gone to bed before consuming the poison.
His lifeless body was discovered on the veranda, leaving relatives in shock.
A search of his belongings yielded no clues about his final moments. One family member stated, “We will not bury him now until we know why he took the difficult decision to end his life.”