The police in Lagos said a 45-year-old man, Adeyinka Abiodun, who attempted to commit suicide last Friday did so because of his inability to repay a loan he had collected in March this year from a microfinance bank in Lagos.
Abiodun, a resident of Abaranje, Ikotun, Lagos, had attempted to jump off the Third Mainland Bridge at about 1.50pm on the day but was rescued by a police patrol team posted to man the bridge during the Eid-el-Kabir holidays.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, said Abiodun told policemen at the Bariga police station during debriefing that he had collected a loan of N390,000, with a monthly repayment plan for six months, from the bank located on the Lagos Island.
The man was said to have calculated the accrued interest on the loan at the time of the suicide incident as N142,287.25.
Elkana said, “The man, who is a Physics graduate and a Master’s degree holder in Business Administration, with two children, collected the loan with intent to upgrade his retail business, but the business failed and the money was lost.
“He is being put through medical and counselling sessions. The microfinance bank was contacted and its officials confirmed the loan. The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, moved with compassion, has visited the man and is repaying the loan.
“The state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, worried by the rate at which people are killing themselves, has enjoined Lagosians to always explore other means of addressing life’s challenges rather than resorting to taking their own lives, as suicide is never an option.
“This is the eighth suicide attempt the police have successfully foiled in Lagos in the last two months. The Commissioner calls on well-meaning individuals to always reach out to the needy and less privileged persons around them. Together we can stop suicide.”
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
