Margaret Adiya Ikumu, a 19-year old girl, from Oni community, Oju Local Government Area, Benue State who is currently being investigated by the Lagos State Police command, for faking her death on Social media has revealed that she took the action because of her mother.
According to the suspect, Margaret who was arrested after her family wrote a petition to the police 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 is constantly demanding 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.
“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 a profile picture. After posting the obituary notice on the account.”
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However, trouble started when Margaret’s Uncle, Tony Iji, saw the Facebook post and downloaded the profile picture and reposted, 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.
Uncle’s account
According to Tony Iji, our attention was drawn to a post on Facebook stating that the 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 was abortive as her phone number is permanently switched off.
“Later we were able to establish contact with the said friends who confirmed to them that their daughter is dead. Her friends claimed that they were instructed by Margaret not to allow members of her family to 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 a picture of a casket showing that the Margaret has been buried.
We also got in in touch with a man on the phone who claimed to be her boyfriend. He corroborated the claim that she is dead”.
Sequel to the petition, the police swung into an investigation where they discovered that Margaret is alive and working as a housemaid in an estate at Ajah.
Confirming the incident the spokesperson Lagos state police command DSP Bala Elkana said: “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 having 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.”
