SAD......Let my suicide end false sexual accusations, says entrepreneur

Nigerians have expressed anger at the suicide of a United States of America-based entrepreneur, Izuchukwu Madubueze (aka Izu), saying there is the need for punishment for false accusations.

Some social media users, who took to Twitter on Monday and Tuesday, also called for the arrest and prosecution of a self-acclaimed social media influencer, Nanichi Anese.

The renewed outrage followed the release of a video where Izu stated his reasons for committing suicide.

PUNCH Metro had reported that Anese on June 29 included the deceased’s name in a list of over 100 people she described as sexual abusers, urging her followers to avoid them for “safety purpose”.

Izu, who graduated from the University of South Florida, became depressed as friends queried him on the allegation.

Efforts by the 23-year-old creative designer to get the details of the allegations against him from Anese, were rebuffed.

The Public Information Office of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, in response to an email from our correspondent, said Madubueze shot himself dead on Thursday, July 16, 2020.

Our correspondent noted that the deceased planned the suicide, as he broke the news himself on Twitter on July 17, using an app that allows one to schedule his tweets.

Also, a video went viral on Monday, July 27, showing moments before Izu killed himself.

In the 8 minutes 36 seconds video, the deceased, who wore a red jacket, apologised to his family members and friends, as he read his suicide notes.

He said, “Thursday, July 16, 2020. I feel like saying some last words before I leave. In the last couple of weeks I have seen tweets. I have heard from several people. I have also seen some people who I expected a lot more from stop tweeting me and I wasn’t ever given a fair chance to clear my name or explain my own side of the story or verify whether any of the allegations against me were true or not.

“To my family, first of all, I apologise for bringing disgrace to your name. I love you unconditionally from the bottom of my heart. To my mum, I pray you stay strong. To my dad; he always said God will not give me a load that is too heavy to carry. But the last three years have been the heaviest moments of my life.

“I have been struggling with my mental health for some time now and my close friends and some members of my family know I tried to commit suicide last year, and I failed. I started getting better with some self therapy.

“But honestly, right now, this whole situation reiterates why I don’t need to be here. If there is one thing I am proud of, personally, I have always been direct even when it’s uncomfortable. If I did anyone wrong and I found out, I apologised immediately and I tried to sort things out.

“Personally, I don’t like drama or stress. I have also tried to help as many people as I can in my short time here. But I am not perfect and I’m sure nobody is. Till my death, which is today, I still maintain that I don’t know how or the person who said I sexually harassed her or harassed her after she blocked me or who I wronged.

“To the girl who posted the list, thank you. Like I told you Nani, I can’t shoot the messenger. But your attitude towards or to work towards clearing up accusations, was piss-poor. You denied me the opportunity to clear my name and you refused to tell me exactly what I did that was harassment even after I provided proof that I didn’t harass this person. I reached out to them to apologise; only three text messages. And I never in anyway harassed this person. I never harassed them.”

Izu said he hoped his case would open up conversations on “false accusations, sexual misconduct, sexual abuse, sexual harassment”.

He noted that the society also needed to do better in handling the issues.

“When you see injustice, please speak up. Some people who felt I was unjustly accused, reached out to me. But they were scared to speak up because they did not want to be attacked or associated with the whole drama that this turned out to be. In your fight to become the voice of equality, do not silence others. Understand what a safe space is first, before you claim to create it.

“To everyone who reached out and tried to hear my side of the story, to everyone who supported me, thank you; it wasn’t in vain. I just don’t have much to live for. If you’re reading this, I most likely would have been gone,” he added.