An Uyo, Akwa Ibom based man identified as Utibe Eteffia has taken his life after falling victim to cyber fraudsters, popularly known as ‘Yahoo Plus’ boys.
LEADERSHIP learnt at the weekend that the fraudsters cleared out the victim’s account to the tune of N2.5 million, resulting in his decision to ingest poisonous substance that ended his life.
A neighbor who identified himself as Eka Baby, told our correspondent, “He lived by Akpakoruk Street at Atan Ofot, area of Uyo, and was doing a Point of Sale (PoS) business by the adjoining street opposite the State council secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), before his sad demise”.
Prior to his death on Friday, Eteffia had reportedly been posting his obituary on social media with the picture of a lit candle.
This got his audience and friends reacting to his frightening; “Do you believe in reincarnation?” post.
Eteffia, who was said to own an expensive i-Phone dashed it out to his sister with the pin code of his ATM card, according to neighbours who disclosed that he had become reclusive few days to his death as he was doing the countdown on his social media with followers unaware of the impulse of his action.
“Sometime, he would remain in his house crying. Some nights he would make calls to people till even 4am,” Aniefiok Isang, who identified himself as his customer and neighbour, recalled.
“About one week to committing suicide, he came to my house, asking me if I had rat poison. When I probe further, he explained that he wanted to use it to clear some rodents in his house.
“I was also told he went to a chemist shop in the neighborhood to check the poisonous substance, and succeeded in buying one before traveling to his village to take his life,” Ubong Idem, a local resident of Atan Ofot, said.
The deceased, who hails from Ini local government area, lost both parents at a very young age and was raised by his aunt who saw him through secondary school before getting financial assistance from family and friends to run the PoS business.
Struggling to find his right financial footing, he deployed his phone into running a cyber-deal with fraudsters on social media who introduced him into the cult cartel running Yahoo- Plus business and ended up being duped after initiation.
According to a family source, Eteffia consumed poisonous substance at his hometown in Ini local government area after the occupants of the house had slept off at night.
His lifeless body was discovered at the balcony of the house to the utter shock and surprise of the family who immediately sent a delegation to search his house for any evidence connected to his death.
“We will not burry him now until we know why he took the difficult decision to end his life,” a family source disclosed.
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