The Nation Newspaper

Tag: suicide attempt

  • Suicide attempt: ‘UNIBEN student was under pressure’

    The University of Benin (UNIBEN) final year student of Accounting who attempted  suicide was under pressure, her colleague has said.

    The friend denied that the student Ifeoma atempted to kill herself because she was jilted.

    The victim’s friends rescued her  and took her to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH).

    An eyewitness, who gave her name as Esther Osagiede, said Ifeoma was depressed owing to class workload.

    Ifeoma allegedly took some pesticide.

    Osaigede said: “I will like to dispute the rumour that Ifeoma took the poison due to a break-up. Ifeoma did not break up with anybody. She was just under pressure due to her final year project and other school activities. She just didn’t know who to confide in; so she became depressed.’’

    ‘’She is not a crazy person like most people believed. She was lost and misguided. But we are happy she survived,’’ another of her roommate said.

    CAMPUSLIFE learnt that Ifeoma has been discharged.

    According to CAMPUSLIFE, the incident occurred at Queen Idia Hostel (Hall 1) in the university’s main campus Ugbowo.

    Osagiede recounted how the incident happened.

    She said: “Ifeoma is a very good and humble person. I was shocked when on that fateful day, I rushed into the hostel and saw that she was the one who took the sniper poison.’’

    Osagiede said she and Ifeoma’s  roommates forced her to drink palm oil to detox the poison.

    One of the victim’s roommates, who preferred to remain anonymous, also told CAMPUSLIFE how they tried to rescue her.

    “After giving her palm oil, we rushed her to the University of Benin Health Centre. When we got there, the doctor referred us to University of Benin Teaching Hospital. Luckily for us, we got there on time. She was placed on admission while the doctor commenced treatment immediately.

  • Man, 40, hospitalised after suicide attempt

    The Police in Jigawa on Friday said a 40-year-old man, Abdullahi Jafaru, was hospitalised after he attempted to commit suicide.

    The command Spokesman, SP Abdu Jinjiri, confirmed the incident to newsmen in Dutse.

    Jinjiri said Jafaru attempted to commit suicide because he failed to convince his wife, Halima Abdullahi, to return home after a misunderstanding that made her abscond from the matrimonial home.

    “Dec. 31, 2018, a woman by name Halima Abdullahi absconded from her matrimonial home because of misunderstanding with her husband, Abdullahi Jafaru, aged 40, of Shunar village in Kafinhausa Local Government Area.

    “And attempts made by the said Abdullahi to console Halima to come back to his house being his first wife with six children proved abortive.

    “In this regard, Abdullahi found it unbearable to survive without his lovely wife, hence he found petrol and set himself ablaze.

    “And as soon as the police in the area got the hint, they swiftly moved to the scene and rescued the suspect/victim and rushed him to hospital.

    “While still on sick bed receiving treatment, Abbullahi is still calling the name of Halima despite the fact that his second wife remained with him at the hospital,” Jinjiri said.

    According to him, the case is under investigation.

  • Police arraign man for alleged suicide attempt

    The police yesterday arraigned Iliyasu Lawal, 28, Nura Iliyasu, 29, and Idris Suleiman 28, in a Wuse Zone 2 Magistrates’ Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for allegedly trespassing the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the trio, who are residents of Kaduna State, were accused of attempts to commit suicide inside the presidential villa.

    The prosecuting counsel, Mr Augustine Urom, said Lawal, on September 12, allegedly climbed an MTN telecommunication mast within the presidential villa to commit suicide while the others watched.

    Urom told the court that the Department of State Services (DSS) had transferred the defendants to the FCT Police Command on September 18.

    He added that the defendants allegedly invaded the Aso Rock Villa with placards bearing various inscriptions capable of causing a public revolt against the Federal Government.

    Urom said the First Information Report (FIR) revealed that the defendants’ behaviour was capable of igniting uprising against a constituted authority. The prosecutor claimed the offences contravene sections 79, 348, 114, 113 and 231 of the Penal Code.

    The defendants pleaded not guilty to the five-count charges of joint act, criminal trespass, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and attempt to commit suicide against them.

    Lawal’s and Suleiman’s lawyer, Uche Uwazuruonye, filed an oral application to admit his clients to bail. Uwazuruonye said the alleged offences were bailable, adding that his clients would always be available to stand justice.

    “I assure the court that the defendants would not jump bail if admitted,” he said.

    Also, Iliyasu’s lawyer, Dim Udebuani, prayed the court to also grant his client bail.

    He said this will give him the right atmosphere to prepare his defence. The Magistrate, Mr Muhammad Abdulmumini, admitted the three defendants to bail for N250,000 and a surety.

    Abdulmumini said the sureties must be from a Grade Level 7 officer and above in the Federal Civil Service within the jurisdiction of the court.

    He adjourned the matter till October 16 for hearing.

  • Melaye gets N5 million bail for alleged suicide attempt

    Justice Slyvanus Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has granted Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) bail for N5 million with two sureties.

    The bail was granted after the Inspector General arraigned Melaye on a six-count charge over alleged attempt to commit suicide and escape from custody.

    Justice Oriji said one of the sureties must be a director of the civil service.

    “One of the sureties must be a director in the civil service residing in the FCT and must deposit an affidavit of means,” he said.

    The vacation judge also said that failure to meet up with the bail terms, the defendant should be remanded in prison custody.

    After courts’ vacation, the judge said the case would be assigned to a judge.

    Part of the counts read: “That you Senator Dino Melaye of 11 Sangha Street Maitama on April 24, 2018 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court while being conveyed in a white Police Haice Bus with a Registration Number marked NPF 3354D to Lokoja, Kogi State by police officers to be arraigned in court for conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms in charge number CMCL/145C/2018 filed at the Chief Magistrate Court Lokoja, Kogi State intentionally obstructed the police officers from conveying you to Lokoja by forcing your way out of the said bus and escaped and thereby committed an offence;

    “That you Senator Dino Melaye of 11 Sangha Street Maitama on April 24, 2018 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court while being conveyed in a white Police Haice Bus with a Registration Number marked NPF 3354D to Lokoja, Kogi State by police officers to be arraigned in court for conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms in charge number CMCL/145C/2018 filed at the Chief Magistrate Court Lokoja Kogi State forced your way out of the bus when you were to be rearrested by the same police officer, you threatened to kill yourself and put the police officers in trouble which prevented them from re-arresting you and thereby committed an offence.”

    After the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges read against him, his lawyer Chief Mike Ozekhome  (SAN) prayed the court to grant the defendant bail on the same terms of the Magistrate’s Court in Wuse Zone 2 Abuja.

    Ozekhome stressed that the defendant would not jump bail or flee from justice as he has another matter pending before Lokoja High Court today.

    “My lord we are at your mercy to grant him bail. I can assure you that he will attend his trial because he is also interested in clearing his name in all the court cases,” Ozekhome said.

    The police prosecutor, Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN), said he will leave it to the discretion of the court.

    “I urge your lordship to use your discretion to grant bail to the defendant,” police prosecutor said.

  • N400 acid, suicide attempt and… four years later: Man seeks life without pain

    N400 acid, suicide attempt and… four years later: Man seeks life without pain

    Delta State-born Taiwo Eko was tired of his life. It was not worth living again. Ending it was the only option. And to a mechanic workshop he went. He lied that he needed raw battery acid to kill rats that were troubling him in his house. The mechanic bought the lie and sold him a N400-worth of the deadly substance. He consumed it. That was in 2011. But death did not take Taiwo Eko, 30.It instead left him with a health challenge. Now, he is desperately in search of how to regain his health.

    The acid destroyed some organs in his body system. Now, he has been told he needs to go on another medical tourism to India for the damaged organs to function well again. His efforts at home and his first trip to India did not yield the expected result.

    The acid has left him unable to eat on his own. He now depends on a device known as Naso Gasgric Tube to feed. To breathe is also impossible without artificial oxygen.

    Eko told Niger Delta Report that he had confessed his sin to God for attempting to take his life. He obviously regrets it now. He added that his condition was getting worse daily.

    He noted that after he attempted suicide, his throat and his voice cracked. His tongue was also affected, which made him unable to speak loudly.

    Narrating how he attempted to take his own life, Taiwo said: “   I drank acid; I wanted to kill myself because I was not happy with my condition. I have no parents and I have been suffering for many years without help.  I went to mechanic workshop to get the acid with N400 but the acid didn’t end my life the way I wanted. The people who rushed me to the hospital said I was already dead, that   the first hospital rejected me. I was referred to an hospital in Delta State and nothing happened. They took me to University of Benin Teaching Hospital where I stayed a year and six months.

    “But later the hospital management changed their mind to perform surgery on me. As God wants it, I met Dr. Richard Okonye, a man of God who volunteered to take me to India where I got treated.  But when I came back to Nigeria my condition got worse. So I need help to bounce back to life, please forgive and help me.

    “Apollo Hospital in India treated me to the extent that I no longer breathed with artificial oxygen or ate through tube. I was surprised and confused that when I returned to Nigeria, everything got worse. I’ m now begging for medical attention to get back to India. I know I will get better again if anybody could help me. I had contacted a doctor in India who promised to save my life. But my major problem is fund; I have no parents or source of earning income.”