Director commits suicide in Kogi

TRAGEDY struck in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital when a 53 years old director in the state civil service, Mr Edward Soje, committed suicide by hanging himself after his wife delivered triplet.

Soje, who worked with the Teaching Service Commission (TSC), was said to have become a father after 17 years of marriage when he decided to take his own life.

The director, according to family source, had not received salary in the last 11 months when the wife was delivered of the triplet at a private hospital in Abuja.

Sunday Tribune gathered that the lifeless body of Soje was discovered on Thursday hanging in a tree beside Mammy market at the Maigumeri housing the Nigeria Army Command Records, Lokoja.

It was further learnt that the deceased left a suicide note in his room before leaving for the place where he hanged himself.

The note read, “Psalm 121:3 God will not suffer your foot to move: He that keepeth you will not slumber. Amen. You and the three boys, the God Almighty keep you and prosperous, amen. I love you.”

The Ogori born Grade Level 16 officer was said to have been facing many financial challenges before the challenges were climaxed with the birth of the triplet through caesarian operation

He was among thousands of civil servants being owed between two and 21 months salary arrears by the government.

A family source told newsmen that Soje recently sold his only car and a three-bedroom bungalow he was building at Otokiti area of Lokoja in order to meet some of the challenges.

The building which was at lintel level was sold by Soje at a giveaway price of N1.5 million in April to meet urgent family needs, adding that his financial woes became compounded when the wife gave birth to a set of triplets through Caesarian operation in a private hospital in Abuja on Oct. 7.

The deceased was said to have stayed with the wife in the hospital and children until October 13, a day before the naming ceremony when he decided to come back to Lokoja.

The source explained that when he got to Lokoja, Soje went approached his bank to collect the remaining N30,000 in his salary account and thereafter informed the bank in writing about his decision to close the account.

He immediately left Lokoja for the hospital in Abuja where he rejoined his wife and handed over the N30,000  money to her, following which the couple was joined by two pastors and few relatives for a brief naming ceremony for the triplets in the hospital.

He later left the hospital on the pretext that he wanted to pick few things from the wife’s apartment in Abuja with a promise to return soon.

However, after many hours, Soje did not return and did not pick any of the many calls made to his telephone line, a development which forced the wife to send somebody to the house to go and ascertain what was happening to him.

The person, on getting to the apartment knocked the door severally but no response and decided to call his telephone number, which was said to be ringing in the apartment.

The person was said to have knocked severally again but no response, this made him seek the assistance of neighbours to force the door open.

The people were said to have been shocked when they saw Soje’s telephone handset placed on a suicide note on the centre table in the sitting room while he was nowhere to be found.

Efforts made to locate him did not yield fruitful result until relations decided to visit hospitals in Lokoja on Friday,  when the corpse of Soje was found in the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja.

The people were said to have been informed by the management of the hospital that Soje’s corpse was brought in by the police who found it dangling on a tree.

Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), William Aya, said that the dangling body of Soje was found on a tree behind the barracks.

Aya said that the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Area D division received information about the incident from the military intelligence office in the barracks.

According to him, the men of the command removed the corpse to the morgue of the FMC, Lokoja, saying nothing was found on the man to help trace his address and family.

He, however, said the investigation into the circumstances that led to the suicide was still ongoing.