• Medical expert, psychologist, religious leaders worried as suicide cases increase
• ‘Why more Nigerians are killing themselves’
It appears the devil has unleashed the spirit of suicide on Nigerians. Many people – male and female, the young and the not-so- young, are taking their own lives at the drop of a hat. HENRY UMAHI x-rays the worrisome development
In 2021, Mrs Toluige Olokobi Babalola and son became internet sensations after a video showed the little boy frantically begging his mother not to flog him after offending her.
In the video, the little boy was seen crying and saying: “Mummy, calm down. Mummy, be calming down.”
Thereafter, ‘be calming down’ became a national parlance of sort. But last week, the woman was again in the news. This time, she was reported to have committed suicide in her residence in Benin, the capital of Edo State.
Shortly after, the tale began to twist. The police said that what the woman’s husband, Lawal, told them was different from neighbours’ account.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Edo State, Chidi Nwabuzor, said: “On November 8, the husband, by name Lawal, reported to the Evbuotubu Division in Benin City, Edo State.
“He said that he returned from the market and met his two-year-old child, Ife Lawal, crying. Immediately, he burst the door open and saw the wife on a rope tied to the ceiling. So, he loosened it and cried out to the neighbours.
“They came and accompanied him to the hospital where the wife was confirmed dead and they deposited the body at a hospital mortuary in Benin City. Thereafter, he went to the Evbuotubu Police Station to report the incident.
“The DPO went with his operatives to the house, where they recovered the rope and suicide note allegedly written by the late woman.
“From there, the DPO went down with him to the hospital to check the body of the deceased for mark of violence. With all diligence, the DPO checked, but there was no mark of violence.
“Based on this, the Commissioner of Police, Dankwara, directed the DPO to immediately transfer the case to SCID for further investigation.
“There are issues alleged and there are so many sides of the coin. The husband said the neighbours came when he cried for help, and that they helped him loosen the rope from his wife’s neck.
“However, the neighbours are saying no, ‘we do not know anything about loosening the rope.’ They said when he shouted for help, they came in and met him lying on the woman.
“There are so many issues and that is why the Commissioner of Police, in his wisdom, ordered for investigation. More so, when there was a report from the DPO that there was no mark of violence.
“One would have expected, in all truism, a mark from the rope on the woman that died from hanging. That is the mark of violence we are talking about. So he is under investigation.”
If Mummy calm Down’s alleged suicide is dyed in controversy, the case of Olatunji Olayinka Emmanuel, a final-year student of the Department of English, Faculty of Arts, University of Lagos, is beyond doubt. Few days ago, he committed suicide. He even recorded himself ingesting some kind of insecticide.
The Public Relations Officer of UNILAG, Alagba Ibrahim, said: “He has paid and registered for the semester. The entire university community commiserates with the Olatunji family, and prays that God grants the bereaved family the strength and fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.”
In October 2023, Sanni Hameedat, a 20-year-old student of the University of Ilorin, reportedly committed suicide over N500, 000 unpaid loan from an online loan platform.
It was gathered that Hameedat took an insecticide which led to his death. A source linked her death to the pressure from the loan shark agents when she defaulted in her repayment plan.
A source said: “From what I understand, the deceased (Hameedat) was troubled by a financial situation she encountered. Her mother allegedly trusted her with a substantial amount of money, but she was defrauded by a man she met on Snapchat.
The fraudster claimed that he urgently needed N400, 000 to treat his mother, who allegedly had breast cancer. Hammedat, who had N1m she held for her mother, then decided to lend her friend the money in the hopes that he would repay her.
“However, when her mother needed the money back, the boy abruptly cut off all contact, blocking her. Troubled, Hameedat, took to loan apps to raise over N400,000, which he added to her other savings to make up the N500,000 she gave out to her friend.
“Eventually, Hammedat found herself in a cycle of debt, struggling to repay the borrowed money and facing financial difficulties.”
So, she drank insecticide and vomited till death.
The Director of Information of the university, Mr Kunle Akogun, said: “We have received various reports on the sad incident too and we have commenced investigations into it and will let the public know the details after.”
On Wednesday last week, the Gombe State Police Command confirmed the suicide case involving one Abdullahi, who was an erstwhile gateman in Ryan Nursery School in the Tudun Wada area of the state.
Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Mahid Abubakar, said: “We are aware of the case because we received a report in the early hours of Monday, and our personnel were deployed; they went to also take photographs and moved the body to the Specialist Hospital where he was certified dead by medical doctors.
“Investigation has commenced after notifying the family of the incidence that occurred.”
Reacting to the allegation that the victim was accused of rape, Abubakar said: “I’m not aware of that. We didn’t see any note on him leading to such allegation. But as I said, the investigation is on, and the cause of the suicide will be revealed.”
The police image-maker urged residents to shun taking their own lives. “Suicide is not a solution. It only worsens it, though no crime in committing such because the victim wouldn’t be alive to answer, but an attempt to commit suicide is punishable under the law.”
In July, 29 year-old Terver Orfega from Benue State allegedly committed suicide over his inability to repay a business loan.
In August, a Lagos socialite, Farida Sobowale, was prevented from committing suicide. The woman, who is the founder of House of Phreeda, a skincare company, in a viral video, packed her Lexus SUV on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos and attempted to jump into the lagoon.
Across the country, suicide is becoming a fashion. Although suicide is not new in the country, it has assuming a frightening dimension in recent times.
Over the years, many Nigerians have kissed the world good bye on their own volition.
But it is a global scourge. According to a report, for each suicide, there are likely more than 20 suicide attempts, and suicide occurs throughout life.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) disclosed that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in people aged 15 to 19 years (male and female). It added that more than 700,000 people die due to suicide every year, and 77 per cent of global suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries. Ingestion of pesticide, hanging and firearms are among the most common methods of suicide globally. Suicide is a serious public health problem; however, suicides are preventable with timely, evidence-based and often low-cost interventions.
Why they do it
Mr. Ebere Anyanwu, a Lagos-based psychologist and counsellor, admitted that there has been an increase in the spate of suicide in Nigeria lately. He said, among other factors, depression and mental disorder were at the root of suicide.
He said: “When we talk about suicide, we must understand that suicide is multi-determined, meaning that many factors are involved. First, we must look at factors that can lead to suicide to have a clear picture. There are social and environmental factors.
“For instance, based on my findings from the numerous suicide cases I have handled, many were caused by social isolation within family, schools and workplaces, the lack of social connections, where people feel unwanted or as a burden to others. We have psychiatric risk factors of suicide, which are depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, humiliation and even addiction.
“There is also a hereditary influence. For instance, children of parents who died by committing suicide or attempted suicide may most likely develop suicidal thoughts and behavioural patterns. Insomnia has a very strong link with suicide attempts. The chances for someone to be suicidal are increased when there is the absence of sufficient sleep. Most suicidal patients have suffered chronic insomnia. But with the help of well-prescribed sleeping pills, that aspect has reduced.
“Financial distress is another possible cause of suicide. Even though rich people commit suicide too, however, the inability or not being able to feed and provide basic amenities for oneself can lead to suicide. People who are exposed to trauma and violence have an increased risk of developing that acquired capability to kill themselves. This is seen in cases of child abuse victims.
“There is also the story of how, during the slave trade era, Igbo slaves preferred suicide than being taken into slavery and even the few that were arrested and taken into slavery ended up committing mass suicide because they believed that, if they committed suicide, they would return to their native villages.”
He offered solutions to the scourge: “Another crucial part of suicide therapy is called suicide management, which is the ability to manage suicidal victims and give concrete steps so a person is less likely to attempt suicide in the short term. There should be more pronounced counselling centres that handle suicide cases by certified experts. Cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy and collaborative assessment/management of suicide are all strategies to manage suicidal victims.
“Constant communication, showing love and care to people are helpful ways to prevent suicide. As a way to help reduce the rising cases of suicide, I ran a suicide hotline programme, where people who were having suicidal thoughts and suffering from depression could call in and express themselves.
“The programme recorded tremendous success as it was able to rescue and discourage a large number of people who were on the verge of attempting suicide.”
Abere Belema, a medical doctor based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, noted that the cause of suicide varies among cultures. He said: “Recent global statistics noted that over 800,000 people die by suicide annually, representing one in every 40 seconds, globally. Suicide is the leading cause of death in many European countries. In Nigeria, it is the third leading cause of death. Suicide is a complex phenomenon across all ages, groups and cultures.
“By definition, it is the act of killing oneself, most often as a result of depression or mental illness or medical illness. It is an intentional self-inflicted act that results in death. The cause of suicide varies among cultures and races. The leading causes of suicide in America, Europe or Asia are quite different from the causes in Africa.
“However, generally, mental health disorders, alcoholism, feelings of hopelessness or guilt are causes of suicide that cut across culture and race. In Asia, for instance, people are unable to cope with failure. Hence, one who fails in exams, research or any endeavour is prone to committing suicide. Years back, those who committed suicide in Asia over failure of any kind were referred to as brave. The tradition inflated suicide in Asia. In Europe and America, suicides are mainly caused by health disorders, alcoholism or guilt over an action.
“In Africa, especially here in Nigeria, poverty, psychological trauma, religious fanaticism, some cultural beliefs, mental disorders, loss of property or loved ones and failure are causes of suicide. By way of preventing suicide or managing suicidal victims, there is need for psycho-social centres in Nigeria, as it is in Europe and America.
“We need protective factors like problem-solving, conflict resolution and handling problems in a non-violent way, strong connection to family, friends and community support. Everyone needs these skills, especially in Nigeria where depression is very high due to the high poverty rate, scarce resources, joblessness, gang violence, robbery and kidnapping.
“Our government has failed and has a lot to do. Creating jobs and improving the economy will go a long way in curbing the menace. This is because most suicides in Nigeria are caused by poverty.”
The spiritual leader of Spiritual Temple, Lagos, Guru Maharaj Ji, explained that it was possible to hypnotize or use diabolic means to possess an individual into committing suicide.
He said: “There are many ways suicide could occur. The focus is mostly on the mental, psychological cause. We fail to recognise the fact that people could actually be hypnotised or brainwashed to commit suicide and even the use of diabolic means could be possible.”
Malachi Montano, a Catholic priest of St. Luke Catholic Church, Bariga, Lagos, explained the position of the Bible as it concerns suicide.
He said: “If you look at the 10 Commandments in the Bible, it states, ‘Thou shall not kill,’ or ‘Thou shall not commit murder.’ Now, this means that God condemns spilling of blood or killing in general, whether by anyone or in any circumstance. The Bible is vehemently against murder of any kind. No one can give life. Therefore, no one should take a life even if it is your own life. God commanded us to go into the world and multiply, not to go into the world and take life.
“Suicide is even a crime before the law. You see someone who attempted suicide being charged to court and you wonder why. That is because, before God, man and the law, taking one’s life or that of another is a sin. One’s life is the property of God. Christianity does not believe that one can be made to commit suicide using evil manipulations.”
An Islamic cleric of the Iponri Mosque, Lagos, Sheikh Ali Aminu, said: “Islam believes in the sanctity of human life. All human life is sacred. Islam views suicide strictly as sinful and detrimental to one’s spiritual journey. Allah the Almighty says, ‘And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden (to be taken) except by (legal) right. This has he instructed you that you may use reason’ (Qur’an 6:151). ‘And do not kill yourselves (or one another). Indeed Allah is to you ever merciful’ (Qur’an 4: 29). “Whosoever kills himself with anything in this world will be tortured with it on the day of judgement’ (Qur’an 1). So, basically, Islam is against suicide and it is a fact that people can be spiritually manipulated into committing suicide.”
Meanwhile, in Nigeria, suicide is not a crime but attempted suicide is. Section 327 in the Criminal Code Act (which applies to southern Nigeria) states that: ‘Any person who attempts to kill himself is guilty of a misdemeanour, and is liable to imprisonment for one year.’
Similarly, section 231 of the penal code (applicable to northern Nigeria) asserts that: ‘Whoever attempts to commit suicide and does any act towards the commission of such offence shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine or with both.’
*With additional report by NGOZI NWOKEM