TALK OF NAIAJ
– A middle-aged man, Frederick Onigbo, who committed suicide by setting
himself ablaze behind an NNPC mega station in Gwarimpa, Abuja, owed a
bank and others.
Frederick had doused his body with fuel and set it on fire in the
bush behind the filling station on December 23, 2013, but his charred
corpse was not found until five days later, after a desperate search by
his wife and children.
Frederick’s corpse was evacuated to the mortuary of the General
Hospital, Kubwa by policemen from Gwarimpa Estate Police Division.
The remains will be taken to Awgu, Enugu State for burial this week.
His wife, Uchechukwu, who spoke at their Gwarimpa village residence
on Friday said that the deceased was pushed into taking his life by
debts and economic hardship.
She explained that Frederick had taken a N300,000 loan from a bank,
which he wanted to start a business, but he was duped by his business
partner and he became despondent, resulting in the tragedy that befell
the family.
Uchechukwu said, “My husband was a very caring man and a peacemaker; I
never believed he could kill himself because he was a gentle and
romantic person. I believed he must have taken the decision to end his
life because he owed a lot of people, including a bank which gave him a
loan.
“He wanted to use the money to import goods from India, but his
partner duped him and since then, he had not been himself and he also
owed other people.”
The widow who lamented that she had been saddled with the
responsibility of taking care of the seven children her husband left
behind, said only support from kind-hearted Nigerians could help her
survive the responsibility fate had placed on her doorstep.
The bereaved woman stated that she had to borrow N120,000 to pay the
General Hospital Kubwa where her husband’s corpse was embalmed.
According to her, Frederick’s mother, who died in November,2013, has
yet to be buried and the family is working to raise money for her
funeral before Frederick committed suicide.
The National Coordinator, Women and Family Advanced Initiative, Dr.
Uche Obi, also urged members of the public to come to the aid of the
Onigbo family.
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Altienne Daniel, said
investigation had commenced into the incident, adding that the police
needed to go beyond the general explanation that Frederick committed
suicide by probing the motive and other factors surrounding the tragedy.
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