Rising Cases of Suicide
Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that the recent upsurge in suicides, either successful or attempted ones in Lagos, has proven worrisome and should spur the government and society at large to action
Bridges across lagoons are meant for one thing, a means for motorists and pedestrians alike, to cross over from one side to the other. However, in Lagos, which is known as the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria with its bustling and hustling, bridges have been turned to something else; a spring or jumping boards into the lagoon not for exercise purposes but to commit suicide.
In the course of three weeks, over five cases of suicide attempts have been made from bridges across the state, with one being successful, thus earning the state the sobriquet ‘Suicidal Lagos’. This picture of course does not define the true Lagos, a city where people throng to on a daily basis to make ends meet.
Who would have thought that suicide cases would become very incessant that a hotline for suicide cases in Nigeria would need to be put in place? Well, since the trend seems to be on the rise, some certain persons created two hotlines to attend to suicidal persons (08062106493 and 08092106493), but despite these hotlines, the sharp rise of suicide cases within two weeks in Lagos certainly caught society’s attention with many clamouring for solutions to this recurring menace.
It would therefore simply be stating the obvious when ones says that the increasing wave of suicide cases in Lagos has taken a fearsome and worrisome proportion.
In some of these cases, suicide which is the act of intentionally causing one’s own death, was caused by depression, indebtedness, lack of money and hope for survival. But generally speaking, other symptoms of suicide can be attributed to mental disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism or drug abuse, troubles with interpersonal relationships, and bullying, which often make the suicidal persons attempt to desperately escape by ending their own lives.
The 1990-2013 statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that no fewer than a million people die annually from suicide, which represents a global mortality rate of 16 people per 100,000 or one death every 40 seconds. The report also stated that there were an estimated 10 to 20 million attempted suicides every year.
WHO had also reported that over 800,000 people die by committing suicide annually and that it was the second cause of death among young people between15-29 years in 2012. Breaking it down further, the organisation also said in 1990 it resulted in 712,000 deaths and rose to 842,000 in 2013 making it the 10th leading cause of death worldwide.
In its 2012 statistics, the report also showed that out of Nigeria’s population, 6.5 per cent committed suicide out of which 10.3 per cent were male and 2.9 per cent were female. This report certainly reveals that suicide cases continue to pose a big problem to Nigeria.
Recent suicide cases
Last year alone, no fewer than 12 suicide cases and five foiled attempts were recorded in Lagos within six months. As was confirmed by the then Lagos State PPRO, SP Dolapo Badmos, she said the core need for the police was to find out why people would want to commit suicide. Given the criminal nature of suicide, it is expected that those who attempt suicide be arrested and prosecuted, but for Dolapo, the best option would be awareness creation. She said, “We can prosecute anyone who makes an attempt to kill himself or herself but that seems not to be the solution. The real solutions lie in finding out from such persons the reason for such an act and talk them out of it. We always advise victims’ families of victims to monitor them closely because those who commit suicide do so out of depression and frustration ranging from marital, economic, loss of job and some other vices.”
This year, the trigger that seemed to have started all these was the suicide of Dr. Allwell Chiawolamoke Oji, a medical doctor attached to Mount Sinai Hospital, Papa Ajao, Mushin. The middle-aged unmarried medical doctor had jumped into the lagoon at Third Mainland Bridge after he ordered his driver to park his car, a Nissan Sports Utility Vehicle with registration number LND476EE.
It took about four days of frantic search by law enforcement agents before his body was recovered and his family identified him. But this was after another body was found by the divers. According to those in the know, the doctor had been battling with Sickle Cell Anaemia, accompanied by severe seizures.
Due to his passion for surgery, he was said to have written the exam for his residency in surgery so he could become a consultant and passed but due to his ailment, he was turned down. The hospital was said to have turned him down because they felt his ailment, which was accompanied by seizure, could be a deterrent to performing his duties. This was said to have triggered off another bout of depression that led to his suicide.
The same day, a woman simply identified as Emerald also attempted suicide by jumping into the lagoon from Maza-Maza Bridge in the Mile 2 area of Lagos.
According to eyewitness account, the middleaged woman was walking along the bridge when she suddenly got to the middle, climbed the rails and jumped. Luckily she was rescued before she could drown by some men who were under the bridge.
Few days later, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), rescued two women who attempted to commit suicide by jumping into the lagoon. The women, in separate incidents, attempted to jump into the lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge and Carter Bridge in Lagos.
One of them, identified as Abigail Ogunyinka succeeded in jumping into the lagoon but was quickly rescued by divers, while the other woman, Taiwo Titilayo Momoh, was rescued while attempting to jump into the Lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge.
When giving reasons why she attempted to kill herself Ogunyinka said: “I owe two microfinance banks, one N60,000 and the other N90, 000 and the banks have been troubling me. I have looked all through and there is no help. I don’t want to further face embarrassment. I took my house help along with me and I told her we were going to the market.
“I took her along so she would tell my people and those that I owe that I did not run away with their money. I wanted her to tell them that I had ended my life, but, she raised alarm when I plunged into the lagoon. If I had known, I wouldn’t have gone with her because I am going back to the same problem.”
Momoh, who also blamed financial problems, said: “I am blaming the police and the people who rescued me. I am a trader at Balogun Market and I took goods from four foreigners who trusted me. I owe $36,000 and I was swindled by a bureau de change operator. Since I was duped, I have not been sleeping. It is as if I am carrying a heavy load. I have not been sleeping. I see those I owe in dreams.
“My problem now is that I have been rescued, I will still face disgrace. I still want to die because I have betrayed the trust my business partners had in me.”
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, who met with the woman at the RRS headquarters at the Lagos State Government Secretariat in Alausa, said Momoh was in a taxi
We have deployed people who can do immediate rescue on our waterways. And as a deliberate policy of government, we have decided to set up a unit that would be stationed permanently to provide help whenever there is an occurrence like that. That’s not to say we are encouraging people to jump into the lagoon