A 25-year-old student, Joseph Abodunrin, has died by suicide in the Dagbolu community of Olorunda Local Government Area, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria, reportedly due to the financial struggles and economic hardship in Nigeria.
Abodunrin, who was a first-class student of Material and Metallurgical Engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, had reportedly dropped out of school before taking his own life on Monday, March 24, 2025. His social media history revealed that he had posted at least 88 tweets about suicidal thoughts since December 2024.
On January 31, 2025, he shared a post saying, “If not for my siblings, I would not commit suicide. Those younglings are still full of optimism, hope, and dreams that I don’t want to squash with the news of my death.”
Tragically, on the day of his death, he quoted that same tweet, writing: “I’m sorry I failed you guys, I couldn’t just do it anymore… No matter how I explain it. You won’t understand!!!”
Abodunrin, who celebrated his 25th birthday on February 6, had ambitious dreams but reportedly felt he had run out of time. According to a close acquaintance, he was deeply discouraged by the structure of Nigerian society and feared he might never succeed. The final blow came when he was not selected for the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) 2025 entrepreneurship program, where he had applied with his startup, Data Wall.
“He wanted to be the next Elon Musk, but he found himself in Nigeria, which automatically handicapped his dreams,” the acquaintance said.
A family member, Abodunrin Grace, confirmed his passing on social media, describing him as a loving brother who masked his struggles with laughter.
“You encouraged us all, but you went to voice out in a space we couldn’t think of. You hid it all from us. You went about with fake laughter and smiles. Now we can’t get over it,” she wrote.
The Osun State Police Command’s spokesperson, ASP Akeem Adeoye, stated that he was not yet aware of the incident but promised to provide updates if new information emerged.
