ore young people are increasingly taking their own lives in Lagos and other cities
The suicide of a teenage girl (name withheld) at the Olodi- Apapa
area of Lagos State, last month, has brought to the fore the silent but
rising cases of suicide in Lagos and other parts of the country.
Investigations revealed that about five persons committed suicide in
different parts of the country in January. But experts say suicide cases
may be higher as such incidences are still considered a taboo and the
family members would cover it so as to prevent embarrassment and the
stigma.
The Olodi-Apapa girl allegedly took her own life after her elder
brother flogged her for spending the night in her boyfriend’s house.
The girl, a daughter of a pastor, allegedly drank a large amount of a poisonous rat killer popularly known as otapiapia which ruptured her stomach and led to her early death.
Residents of Muyibi Street, Wema, Olodi- Apapa expressed shock when
the news of the incident broke out. A neighbour of the deceased girl’s
parents, who didn’t want to be identified, however said the suicide was
the handiwork of the devil.
“This girl’s death is a shock to me and the entire neighbourhood
because we saw her as the most decent of all her parents’ children. She
hardly leaves her house and we do not know that she has started having
boyfriends because she was seen as very holy. We learnt that her elder
brother, who is married, came home to visit the parents but their
parents were not at home. He asked after this girl and nobody seemed to
know her whereabouts. The brother stayed for long and this girl strolled
into the house. When her brother confronted her where she slept the
previous night, the girl confessed she went to see her boyfriend. Her
brother used a cane and flogged her. She wept and went inside the room,
but later nobody heard from her until the mother came home and asked
after her. They informed her she was beaten and she refused to come out
of the room. By the time the mother knocked and knocked and she did not
answer, they forced the door open and saw her writhing in pains. She was
holding her stomach. Her mother asked her what the pain was and she
confessed she took otapiapia to kill herself after her elder
brother disciplined her. She said her family did not love her, so she
decided to take her own life. She died on the way to the hospital and
her corpse has since been buried.”
Suicide is still considered a misdemeanor in Nigeria and attempted
suicide carries a one year jail term, as stated by the Criminal
Code Part V Chapter 27 (327.)
“Any person who attempts to kill himself is guilty of a misdemeanor, and is liable to imprisonment for one year”.
Psychologists blamed suicide on depression, unfulfilled promises and hopelessness.
This appears to be the case with Timilehin Ayobami Ogundare, a
part-time student of the Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State, who was found
dead in his room in Ilupeju area, Asero in Abeokuta, Ogun State
recently. Ogundare committed suicide by hanging himself.
According to a family source, he had made attempts last year to kill
himself but was unsuccessful as he was rescued from jumping into a river
to drown.
“The whole issue is still like a drama because I don’t know what
could have made him decide to take his life. We have been looking for
him since January 1.
Later, we heard that he went to Lagos. He boarded a train from Lagos
back to Abeokuta on Saturday and came down at Lafenwa. He trekked from
the station through EnuGada area to Ajitaadun down to Arakanga area with
the aim of jumping into the river.
“He was arrested by the security men in the area when they saw him
wandering with only his boxer pant on. They handed him over to the
vigilante men at Oke Ilewo for further investigation.
“We went there to collect him and we were told to come back with him
yesterday. On getting to his room, we found out that he had hanged
himself. He left a short note, apologizing that he disappointed us,” the
source narrated in tears.
Narrating why Ayobami might have committed suicide, one of close
friends said: “I remember that he told the pastor while coming from the
vigilante’s office that he needed some money to pay for his school fees
and the pastor told him to see him on Sunday after church service. After
the breakfast, he said he was not feeling well and begged to be allowed
to stay back, which was granted.
“After the church service, he joined other family members to eat the
lunch around 4 p.m. After the food, he went into his room and no one
bothered to know what he was doing until around 8p.m. when we were
looking for him. When we forced his door opened, we met his lifeless
body. He hanged himself with his belt. We went to the Obantoko Police
Station to report the matter and the police arrived around 11.45 p.m.
and removed his corpse to the mortuary,”
Dr. A. Olusodo of the Star Clinic in Lagos said people should be given a reason to live so that they will not resort to suicide.
“Suicide can occur when there is depression, lack of interest in
life, hopelessness and fear of a future punishment. There is the need
to give people a reason to live no matter how bad their situation might
be; give everybody a reason for a free and social life where they have
opportunity to become what they want to become.
Some people have committed crimes and are afraid to face punishment;
but if we have a police, a justice and prison service that are geared
towards reformation and transformation, then the accused will see hope
that he or she can face the future and become a better person”.
Also in January, the Nnoche –Uduke community in Ebonyi state was
thrown into confusion after the news broke that a 12-year-old girl,
identified as Chisom, committed suicide.
Chisom, a primary 5 pupil, allegedly hanged herself from a tree at the back of her family compound at Nnoche-Uduke in Ebonyi.
The corpse was seen hanging from the tree and the sight caused the
villagers to wonder why a girl her age would have thought of suicide.
A source said: “A neighbour of the girl’s father beat her for
allegedly stealing their eggs. The neighbour reported the alleged theft
to the girl’s father but she went inside the house, changed her clothes
only for us to seen her body hanging from the tree”.
It is not only about the youth, though. On January 8th, new broke out that Mrs. Kate Edokpayi, the wife of a former registrar of the Ambrose Alli Unversity, Ekpoma committed suicide.
Mr. Larry Edokpayi, the husband said he found his wife’s corpse
hanging from a ceiling fan in one of the rooms in their boy’s quarters,
but there was no suicide note.
MrsEdokpayi was an Assistant Director with the Edo State Ministry of Education.
Another case of suicide was reported in January in Kebbi State.
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