The Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU) community has been thrown into mourning following the death of Kelvin Danlami, a 300-level Computer Science student who reportedly took his own life.
The tragedy occurred after Danlami allegedly lost ₦600,000, funds entrusted to him for house rent,to a sports betting platform.
The deceased was discovered in the early hours of January 19, 2026, by a neighbour who found him hanging from a ceiling fan in his room.
Neighbours immediately raised an alarm and transported the student to the General Hospital in Lapai, where he was tragically pronounced dead on arrival.
The Niger State Police Command has launched an investigation into the incident. Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed that officers from the Lapai Division visited the scene and have since established contact with the deceased’s family.
While preliminary reports point to the gambling loss as the motive, SP Abiodun stated that further inquiries are ongoing to determine the full circumstances of the act.
Expressing the shock of the student body, Aliyu Abubakar, the General Secretary of the Students Union Government (SUG), described the incident as a devastating loss for the institution.
The case has sparked urgent conversations among stakeholders regarding the mental health of students and the escalating risks associated with gambling addiction within Nigerian universities.