How 22-year old Polytechnic Student Allegedly Committed Suicide in Lagos

The mother of the 22-year old student of Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) who allegedly committed suicide earlier this week, has narrated the events of the day the tragic incident occurred.

The woman, who identified herself as Iya Ibeji told PUNCH that her daughter Damilola Adegoke took Sniper (an insecticide) on Tuesday evening.

Damilola, a National Diploma 1 student of Business Administration, had written a message of encouragement on her Facebook page on Monday.

“Only two of us lived together and we didn’t have any disagreement. She didn’t quarrel with anybody. That morning, we both ate bread and stew. She said she would use the remaining stew to prepare noodles later in the day. She lay on the bed, pressing her phone while I had a nap on the tiles.

When I told her I was going to her sister’s shop at First Gate around 1pm, she said, ‘Eyo mi le jare (let me be).’ She started using that slang recently. Her sister and I had questioned her about it. We didn’t read any negative meaning to it. I didn’t want to go out that day, she persuaded me so she could carry out her plan.

On getting back home around 9pm, I met her sleeping and tried to wake her up. That was when I discovered she was in a coma. I smelled sniper in her mouth and raised the alarm. I gave her palm oil and water while people joined me to take her to a private hospital. She could not talk. From that hospital, we rushed her to a primary health centre in our community. She was confirmed dead on arrival and we reported to the police. Nothing strange was found on her mobile phone,” the deceased’s mother said.

Iya Ibeji said she spoke to Damilola at about 7PM that evening.

Adegoke’s childhood friend and course mate, Faith Omoh, also said they spoke on the phone a couple of hours before her death.

“We talked around 7pm that day and she was cheerful. I was shocked when her mother told me she drank snipper. Damilola (Adegoke) was friendly and likeable. We checked her mobile phone and Whatsapp chats, we didn’t find any suspicious information there. We both gained admission to study Business Administration at LASPOTECH  last year and our second semester examination is about to start,” Faith said.