Tuesday , March 19 2024

Monthly Media Reports on Suicide Incidents in Nigeria – March 2021

People experience suicidal thoughts due to various reasons such as frustration, depression, failed relationship, mental health challenge, academic failure, among others. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 1 million people die each year from suicide. It is difficult to anticipate suicide in most instances and this makes it a terribly dangerous menace in any society. What drives so many individuals to take their own lives remains a serious puzzle though depression is at the center of the probable cause, according to scholars and counselors. The fact is that a suicidal person is in so much pain that he or she can see no other option. Suicide is a desperate attempt to escape suffering that has become unbearable. A suicidal person is often blinded by feelings of self-loathing, helplessness, hopelessness, and isolation. The person hardly sees any way of finding relief except through death.

Nigeria witnessed an unprecedented spate of suicides in 2019, especially with media coverage of such incidents. Some schools of thought have argued that suicide incidents had existed in Nigeria possibly on a large scale but most of such incidents were never reported in the media. Well, 2019 saw a number of incidents reported in social and mainstream media. But 2020 witnessed a slight drop in suicide incidents in Nigeria as reported in the media. Also, the leading method of suicide shifted from use of sniper insecticide which came tops in 2019, to hanging which topped in 2020. We continue our record on suicide incidents in 2021.

Here’s a list of suicide incidents that occurred in March 2021, as reported in the media.

MARCH

 

CASE ONE

Story Title: 300 Level UNN Student Commits Suicide After His Phone Was Seized In Exam Hall

Victim’s Name: Mba Daniel

Marital Status: Single

Date: Friday 12

Gender: Male

Age: Not given

Method: Hanging

Reason: Depression

Type: Suicide

Occupation: Student

State Where incident Happened: Enugu

Victim’s State of Origin: Not given

Story Summary:

A 300 level Biochemistry student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Mba Daniel, was on Saturday, confirmed dead after committing suicide, VANTAGE NEWS reports.

Our correspondent gathered that the student apparently made different attempts to take his own life between Wednesday and Friday before he eventually succeeded in hanging himself.

VANTAGE NEWS learnt that his phone was seized by a lecturer on examination supervision duty after he was caught cheating with it while writing BCH 353 exam on Wednesday, 10th March….

Daniel eventually hung himself at the balcony in the second floor of the three storey building where he fell from the rope and landed on the floor, suffering a broken leg.

He was rushed by neighbours to a nearby hospital where he was confirmed dead in the early hours of Saturday.

Confirming the incident, the President of the Nigerian Society of Biochemistry Students, UNN chapter, Silas Ijaja, said, “the information reaching me through the closest person is that the guy attempted to kill himself with corrosive chemical, relaxer and strong ethanol he mixed and drank but it did not work. He then used rope to hang himself from the balcony of his room where he fell from and fractured his leg. He was rushed to the hospital and confirmed dead on Saturday.

Source: Vantage News

 

CASE TWO

Story Title: Borno man Babagana Usman commits suicide in Kano, leaves a note

Victim’s Name: Babagan Usman

Marital Status: Single

Date: Saturday 20 (reported)

Gender: Male

Age: 42

Method: Hanging

Reason: Depression

Type: Suicide

Occupation: Not given

State Where incident Happened: Kano

Victim’s State of Origin: Borno

Story Summary:

A 42 year-old man in Kano state identified as Babagana Usman has committed suicide by hanging himself.

Usman who lived in Tsamiya in Gezawa LGA, hanged himself in his room.

He however left a note confirming he killed himself and that the act was an act of God.

The letter said, “His death was from God, so no one else did it to him.”

Usman hailed from Borno State but was married in Babba.

DSP Abdullahi Kiyawa, Kano State Police Command spokesperson, confirmed the suicide.

He said the police were investigating, reported BBC Hausa Service.

DSP Kiyawa said the police were worried that suicide was on the increase in Kano.

Source: PM News

 

CASE THREE

Story Title: Lady Commits Suicide After Her Mum Accused Her of Taking Her Money

Victim’s Name: Not Given

Marital Status: Single

Date: 15 (reported)

Gender: Female

Age: Not Given

Method: Sniper

Reason: Depression

Type: Suicide

Occupation: Not given

State Where incident Happened: Not Given

Victim’s State of Origin: Not Given

Story Summary:

On the 15th of March 2021, I found out about the most disturbing news; a close friend of mine took her life. It was the unbelievable because she was literally fine the night before, posting about the Grammys only to find out she was dead some hours later.

She killed herself. This is the most vibrant person I’ve ever known. What happened?
Almost no one could answer the question at the time and most of us just seemed to assume it was depression and she was just masking it with a smile. I have known her for a long time and even with personal issues, it never got so bad that she’d actually take her own life.

Source: Nairaland

 

CASE FOUR

Story Title: Taraba man allegedly catches fiancee with ex-boyfriend, commits suicide

Victim’s Name: Jivini Jonnan

Marital Status: Single

Date:  Thursday 1 (reported but happened on or before 31st of March)

Gender: Male

Age: 31

Method: Insecticide (sniper)

Reason: Failed relationship

Type: Suicide

Occupation: Not given

State Where incident Happened: Taraba

Victim’s State of Origin: Not given

Story Summary:

A 31-year old man, Jivini Jonnan, has allegedly committed suicide after drinking an insecticide in the Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State.

Jonnan was said to have taken his life after discovering that his fiancée had jilted him and returned to her former boyfriend.

A family source told our correspondent that the deceased was heartbroken after he caught his fiancée in a room with her ex-boyfriend and telling him that she was no longer interested in their relationship despite the fact that they had completed the traditional marriage rites.

The source stated, “They had gone through the traditional marriage rites and she seemed to love him because they had been in the relationship for over three years.

Source: Punch

 

CASE FIVE

Story Title: OAU worker sends suicide text to family, hangs self after work

Victim’s Name: Fisayo Oyeniyi

Marital Status: Married

Date:  Thursday 25

Gender: Male

Age: Not given

Method: Hanging

Reason: Not given

Type: Suicide

Occupation: Staff of OAU

State Where incident Happened: Osun

Victim’s State of Origin: Not given

Story Summary:

A male employee of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Fisayo Oyeniyi, has committed suicide inside his apartment. It was gathered that Oyeniyi hung himself after sending a suicide note to his family.

The note the varsity worker left for his aged mother, wife and children read: “I am not interested in living again.”

It was learnt that Oyeniyi, who was one of the armed guards in the security department left his office for home at Kanmi bus stop, Ifewara road, Ile-Ife, to commit suicide.

A source in the area told The Guardian that the incident happened on Thursday afternoon. “I saw people rushing to his (deceased) apartment to see for themselves what Mr. Oyeniyi did to himself.

Source: Guardian

 

CASE SIX

Story Title: 200 level Otuoke University student commits suicide over academic failure

Victim’s Name: Arikekpar Lucky

Marital Status: Single

Date:  Monday 22

Gender: Male

Age: 27

Method: Hanging

Reason: Frustration due to academic challenge

Type: Suicide

Occupation: Student

State Where incident Happened: Bayelsa

Victim’s State of Origin: Bayelsa

Story Summary:

A 200-level student of the department of History and Diplomacy at the Federal University Otuoke (FUO) Bayelsa State, Arikekpar Lucky, has committed suicide to reportedly escape being tagged as a failure in academics by members of his family.

The Guardian gathered that the deceased, a one-time aspirant of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Student Representative, Central Zone, took his life at the wee hours of Monday.

The 27-years-old student who hails from Otuakeme, Ogbia Local Government Area, hung himself with a rope tied to a ceiling fan after locking the door and windows, behind him.

Source: Guardian

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Chinenye Nwabueze

Nwabueze is a writer with passion for cutting-edge news

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