Teenager Announces Death & Burial On Social Media To Avoid Demands For Money

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

A 19-year old, Miss Margaret Adiya Ikumu, from Oni Community, Oju Local Government Area, Benue State, who announced her death on social media, has revealed that she took the action because of her mother and family who refused to send her to school after the death of her father.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that Margaret was arrested by the Police Intelligence Unit of the Lagos Police Command and currently undergoing interrogations after she faked her death and her family wrote a petition to the Police.
She said: “I created the Facebook account and posted my obituary with intent to keep my family away from me because my mother was putting financial pressure on me. She constantly demands that I send money to her. I am bitter with my mother and uncles over their inability to sponsor my education after the death of my father. My sojourn to Lagos is to work, save some money and return to school”.
She confessed: “To make my obituary look real, I had to use my employer daughter’s photograph, Dr. Nimechi Ugorji (without her knowledge) in the fictitious Facebook account I created, as profile picture after posting the obituary notice on the account”.
However, trouble started when Margaret’s uncle, Tony Iji, saw the Facebook post, downloaded the profile picture and reposted while calling on members of the public who know the person on the photograph to report to the nearest Police Station. Tony Iji also wrote a petition to the Lagos State Police on behalf of the family.
“According to Tony Iji, our attention was drawn to a post on Facebook stating that Margaret Adiya died a few days ago and was secretly buried by her two friends Marvelous Mary and Nneka Buddy at Ajah area. All efforts to reach her were abortive as her phone number is permanently switched off”.
“Later, we were able to establish contact with the said friends who confirmed that she is dead. Her friends claimed that they were instructed by Margaret not to allow members of her family know anything about her death and that they were authorised by the deceased person to secretly bury her.
“To make us believe that Margaret is dead, her friends sent WhatsApp chats to a member of Margaret’s family with picture of a casket showing that Margaret has been buried.”
“We also got in touch with a man on phone who claimed to be her boyfriend. He corroborated the claim that she is dead” Tony said.
Based on the petition, the Police swung into an investigation; they discovered that Margaret was still alive and working as a housemaid in an estate at Ajah.
This was confirmed by the Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, who said that when her employer saw the report of her purported death, they quickly informed the Police and she was brought to Ajah Police Station.
“Investigation is ongoing. She confessed to have created the Facebook account and posted her obituary with intent to keep her family away from her. That her mother was putting financial pressure on her, constantly demanding that she send money to her” Elkana stated.