After Latest Twitter Controversy, Florida Police Confirm Izu Madubueze Committed Suicide In 2020

On Sunday, popular microblogging platform, Twitter, was flooded with insinuations that Izuchukwu Madubueze, a Nigerian fashion entrepreneur who lived in Florida, United States (US), did not commit suicide as he and his family claimed in July 2020.

A self-acclaimed women rights activist, Nanichi Anese, had on June 29, 2020, tagged the then 23-year-old as a sexual offender.

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However, Madubueze, better known as Izu, denied the allegation, saying he never behaved inappropriately towards women.

A few weeks later, after he was unable to clear himself, he published a video on social media, where he read a suicide note, saying he was going to kill himself because he did not get a fair chance to clear his name or explain his side of the story.

“I wasn’t ever given a fair chance to clear my name or explain my side of the story or verify whether any of the allegations against me were true or not” – Izu 1/ pic.twitter.com/dlBDw8Hyts

— Tenacity (@NewDawn9Ja) July 27, 2020

It was later reported that Izu, who had struggled with depression for more than two years, went on to commit suicide.

Following the acquittal of former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy of sexual assault charges last Friday, there were renewed conversations on social media regarding the grave costs of false sexual harassment/assault allegations.

The conversations brought back the case of Izu, who reportedly killed himself in 2020 after he was accused of sexual harassment.

Amid the discussion of circumstances surrounding the entrepreneur’s reported suicide, a Twitter user, Irikefe Ogaga who describes himself as Florida Man, claimed in a now-deleted tweet that his family “can’t” sue Anese “because he’s [Izu is] alive.”

Irikefe Ogaga's tweet claiming Izuchukwu Madubueze was alive — Irikefe Ogaga’s tweet claiming Izuchukwu Madubueze was alive

The claim shocked many people who had believed that Izu truly committed suicide.

Eko Hot Blog monitored a Twitter Spaces conversation on Sunday where one Uncle Charles, who tweets @UncleCCA and claims to be a resident in the US, said background checks indicated that Izu faked his death and changed his name to one Andrew Cannon.

Uncle Charles who claimed that Izuchukwu Madubueze faked his death

According to Charles, who later deleted all of his conspiracy tweets, there were no records of the creative designer’s death in Florida.

“I am not convinced someone died or committed suicide in the US without a record that is exactly my point. I didn’t see any publication- none,” the US resident said in a now-deleted tweet.

Charles's tweet claiming there was no record of Izuchukwu Madubueze's suicide — Charles’s tweet claiming there was no record of Izuchukwu Madubueze’s suicide

Another Twitter user, Romeo Oriogun, claimed that “this man is not dead.”

“This man is not dead, he is living in Clearwater, Florida. He lived in Tampa Bay before relocating to Clearwater,” he tweeted.

Romeo Oriogun's tweet claiming Izuchukwu Madubueze was "not dead." — Romeo Oriogun’s tweet claiming Izuchukwu Madubueze was “not dead.”

However, when Eko Hot Blog contacted Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, the area Izu lived, on Sunday, the state officials debunked the conspiracy theory that he was alive.

In a terse statement sent to our reporter Tuesday evening, Corporal Dave Brenn, a police officer in the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Public Information Office, confirmed that Izu truly committed suicide.

Corporal Brenn disclosed that the entrepreneur was “a victim of a fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

“I can confirm Izuchukwu Madubueze was the victim of a fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound on July 16, 2020,” he told Eko Hot Blog.

But the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, US, did not respond to our reporter’s inquiries about whether one Andrew Cannon, who was recently active on LinkedIn with details mimicking Izu’s, had stolen his identity.

BACKGROUND

In June 2020, Anese posted more than 100 names of men on behalf of anonymous women who claimed that the men sexually harassed or assaulted them.

Nanichi Anese accused Izu Madubueze of sexual harassment in July 16, 2023 — Nanichi Anese

After she added Izu to the infamous list of sexual offenders on June 29, 2020, he was said to have been bombarded by calls from his friends, who queried him about the allegation.

Puzzled by the allegation, the then 23-year-old reached out to Anese, whom he claimed to be a friend, to get the details of his accusers.

Izuchukwu Madubueze featured on the infamous list of sexual offenders published by Nanichi Anese

However, she refused to give details, noting that she had vowed to protect the two ladies, just as she also claimed that the women declined his request to speak to them.

Izu, in a series of tweets, expressed frustration over the matter, insisting he had never abused any woman in his life.

He made attempts to reach his accusers and clarify the situation but he said he never got the chance.

“I am still pretty clueless as to who this is, so if you feel comfortable enough, please feel free to reach out to me so I can understand wherever I went wrong and make amends and do better overall,” the Anambra State indigene tweeted.

Izu later tweeted through Crowdfire app on Friday, July 17, 2020, that he had killed himself.

Crowdfire app allows users to schedule their posts. He killed himself a day before the videos went live.

After Izu’s death and Anese’s refusal to allow him explain himself, she took to Twitter to say Izu’s intent to send “sexually harassing” messages was different from the impact it left on his accusers.

“Izu intent in sending those messages is different from the impact it left,” she said. “My intent for creating this list was different from the impact it left.”

intent vs impact.

izu intent in sending those messages is different from the impact it left.

my intent for creating this list was different from the impact it left.

your intent for justice is different for the impact.

— rage (@nanichianese) July 27, 2020

IZU FAMILY’S REACTION

In a statement released following Izu’s death of July 16, 2020, his family expressed shock and sadness at his demise.

Describing their son as a kind-hearted man, they said the unproven allegation of sexual abuse damaged his reputation and that of his company, Uhuru Designz.

“Sincerely, a part of us has been chipped away forever. Izu was a truly inspiring and kind-hearted young man, who always tried to positively impact the lives of everyone he came across. He was accused of ‘non-physical sexual assault’ and his name added to an unauthorised sex offenders/rape list,” the statement read in part.

“Pleading his innocence, Izu tried his best to reach out to his anonymous accuser and the peddler of this list, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

“He battled with the unimaginable pain of seeing his credible name and brand, which he laboured to build for six years, go to waste over these questionable allegations, which go against his family and societal values. Broken by the stigma of these events, he chose to depart this world.”

The Madubuezes said they had also forgiven those behind the allegations against Izu.

“However, we cannot stop justice from taking its full course. Nobody else has to be a victim of false rape accusations whatsoever. Nobody else has to go through this unimaginable pain in a bid to clear their name.

“Our family will be at peace so long as the death of our beloved son serves as a deterrent for false accusations, especially false rape accusations by people with sinister motives.”

The Madubueze family added that while awaiting the outcome of police investigation, there should be no more “defamatory comments and write-ups” against the deceased.

But that did not stop some Twitter users, who have now deleted their tweets, to spread conspiracy theories on Sunday that Izu faked his death.

Incidentally, they reopened the old wounds on the third anniversary of Izu’s unfortunate death.

CALLS FOR ANESE’S ARREST

Following Izu’s demise, tens of thousands of people signed an online petition for the arrest and prosecution of Anese.

However, despite the calls for her prosecution, the Madubuezes’ hope for a “deterrent to false accusations,” and a police investigation into the matter, she was not charged with a crime.

After deactivating her Twitter account, Anese returned to the social media platform a few days later, where she is still active.