suicide (9)

12166296295?profile=originalThe family of late Uche Okafor has rejected police report that the former Nigeria international defender committed suicide, insisting he was murdered.

Okafor’s body was discovered last Thursday afternoon by his wife in their house in Little Elm, a town about 30 miles northwest of Dallas, detective Oscar Hinojosa said.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office later said that the former World Cup star hanged himself in an upstairs hallway.

However, family spokesman, Ugochukwu Nwaokoro, said Okafor could not have taken his life.

“There is no iota of truth in any stories that Uche died by hanging. This is because the Uche we all knew cannot kill himself,” maintained Nwaokoro...

“We shall get to the root of the matter. Very soon autopsy report will reveal the truth of how Uche really died to the whole world.

“Police investigations are ongoing. For now, we are still in deep shock over this strange death and we are not going to make any further comments until the autopsy report is made available to us very soon.”


The 43-year-old former central defender is survived by a wife, Ifeyinwa, and a 15-year-old daughter, Tochukwu.

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US Mayor Commits suicide

The mayor of Springfield, Illinois, Tim Davlin, was found dead Tuesday morning from what apparently was a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the State-Journal Register.

Illinois State Police are investigating his death..

Police Chief Robert Williams says officers responded to a 911 call shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday at Timothy Davlin's home and found the Democratic mayor dead.

Williams declines to offer details about how Davlin died, saying the investigation is in its infancy.

Springfield Alderman Frank Kunz, who will take over mayoral duties, tells the paper he is shocked and that "it's a sad day."


Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin released a statement saying he was shocked by the news of Davlin's death.

"I was stunned and saddened by the news of Mayor Tim Davlin's passing. His work with my office always reflected his dedication to our hometown. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this tragic moment."

Mayor Davlin did not show up for a court ordered appearance Tuesday morning in a pending estate case involving his late cousin.

Records show that Mayor Davlin owes the federal government nearly $90,000 in unpaid income taxes and liens have been filed against his home.

The lien notice filed in the Sangamon County recorder’s office shows Davlin owes income taxes for the years 2003, 2005 and 2006.

The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports that the mayor blames the problem on a dispute with the IRS over taxes owed on investments he cashed in to buy the home.

Sangamon County property records show that Davlin bought the home for $237,500 in 2004.

City payroll records from earlier this year show that Davlin earns more than $119,000 a year.


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(CNN) -- At age 13, Hope Witsell struggled in middle school. Not because her class work at Shields Middle School in Ruskin, Florida, was challenging, but because Hope was being bullied.

Her friend, Kyla Stich, told CNN that fellow students would "walk up to her and call her 'slut,' 'whore,' and they would sometimes, they would call her 'skank' and just be really cruel to her.".

Another friend, Lexi Leber, said, "We had to make like a wall, we had people surrounding her, and she had to be in the middle because people would come by and try to hit her and push her into a locker or something.

"She was afraid to walk alone, she was afraid someone would do something to her, like verbally attack her, so she would always have someone with her," Leber added.

This all started in the spring of 2009 during the last week of school.

Friends and family say Hope had "sexted" a picture of her breasts to her boyfriend. Another girl from school, they say, got her hands on the photo and sent it to students at six different schools in the area.

Before Hope could do anything to stop it, that photo had gone viral.

The school alerted Hope's parents. Her mother, Donna Witsell, told CNN how she learned about the photo.

"The assistant principal had a meeting with my husband and I and pretty much told us that he did not see the image but that he had heard that it was Hope and when he confronted Hope, Hope did not deny it. She wasn't proud of it but she didn't lie," Hope's mother said.

Mrs. Witsell says she had warned her daughter about the dark side of technology, about "some of the pretty sexual images of young girls and guys."

She added, "Hope was very aware of that, of inappropriate dress and most definitely posing."

Still, because of that photo, Hope had become a target for 11-, 12-, and 13-year-old bullies.

But she didn't share her pain with her parents.

Even when bullies wrote horrible things about Hope on a MySpace page called the "Shields Middle School Burn Book" and started a "Hope Hater Page," the young girl kept silent.

Summer provided a bit of a break, but when the new school year began, the taunting was even worse.

On Saturday, September 12, 2009, Hope Witsell helped her father mow the lawn. They cooked a special seafood dinner together as a family. Then Hope disappeared to her room upstairs. Her parents stayed downstairs and watched TV.

Donna Witsell will never forget the moment she went to say goodnight to her daughter.

"I went upstairs to go in her room and kiss her goodnight. That was when I found her. I screamed for my husband. And started doing CPR."

It was too late. Hope was already dead. She had used her favorite scarves to hang herself from her canopy bed.

After Hope died, her mother learned her daughter had been summoned to meet with a school social worker. A spokesperson for the school says the social worker was concerned Hope might have been trying to hurt herself, so she had Hope sign what's called a "no harm" contract in which Hope agreed to talk to an adult if she wanted to harm herself..

Hope's mother says she was never told about the contract, which she found crumpled up in the garbage in her daughter's bedroom after she died.

School officials told CNN they believed the social worker had tried calling Hope's mother to alert her but weren't sure if she had left a message.

"The school dropped the ball," Donna Witsell said.

"The school did not call. We have the digital telephone; we have the cell phones that indicate when there was an incoming call and what number was calling in. We have a house phone, I have a cell phone, my husband has a cell phone. We have emergency contact numbers at the school which was my sister-in-law and her husband. There was no indication that the school called any of those numbers," Hope's mother said.

Days after Hope died, her older sister, Samantha Beattie, discovered the bullying was still going on. Even in death, Hope could not escape it.

"I knew she had MySpace and Facebook. There were people putting comments on there: 'Did Hope really kill herself?' 'I can't believe that whore did that.' Just obscene things that I would never expect from a 12-year-old or a 13-year-old," said Samantha.

In the year or so that has passed since Hope Witsell took her own life, her mother has started a group called Hope's Warriors. She hopes it will help combat bullying and save other moms from feeling the horrendous pain that she feels.

Donna Witsell has a message for parents: "It happened to my daughter, it can happen to yours too. No one is untouchable. No one is untouchable."

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Men of the Oyo State Police Command are currently investigating the circumstances which led a 10-year-old-girl, Kudirat Raji, to commit suicide.

The girl, who resided with her sister at No 19 Bumoye Street, Benjamin area, Eleyele, Ibadan, was said to have taken her life on June 26, at their residence.

The command's Public Relations Officer, DSP Olabisi Okuwobi, who confirmed the incident in Ibadan, on Friday, said that the husband of the girl's sister, who also resided with them, reported the incident at Eleyele Police Station.

She said the deceased was sent on an errand within the house, but when they could not see her, she was searched for before she was seen where she hanged herself.
Photo:Ogbonaya Onovo IG of Police

The 10-year-old girl was said to have hanged herself with a rope tied on the window burglary.

According to the PPRO, police detectives, led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr. S.T. Yusuf, were sent to the scene, while the incident is still being investigated.

Meanwhile, two people, Mamman Maidabo and Usman Umaru from Igbeti, have been arrested for allegedly stealing six cows from Kara Cattle market in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The police imagemaker said, on Sunday, that the suspects were arrested on June 19, following a report by one Mukaila Oluyemi on behalf of the Seriki Fulani of Oyo State, who reported the theft of the cows from the market.

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A 55-year-old Chadian, Malam Abubakar, Sunday drank poison to terminate his life, minutes after his wife nagged him at Kuchi-Aku community of Kuje Area Council of the FCT.

The man was said to have entered into his room after his wife quarrelled with him to drink a locally made insecticide called ‘Snipper’ at 3.30 pm and informed his neighbours and wife what he did...

A neighbour, Francis Obi, said while telling his wife, the man accused her of making life miserable for him and said he was happy living her for ever.

The neighbour said the deceased, who was recently retrenched at Impresit Construction Company, never knew peace from his wife and always kept quiet whenever she nagged him.

“The woman is so troublesome and the situation got worse for the man after he lost his job as a mason,” the Obi said.

He said the man built the house he lived in but the woman was not satisfied with his hard work and embarrassed as well as abused him in public daily.

The neighbour said people around the area rushed to get policemen after the incident, who arrested the woman, while the corpse was taken to the University of Abuja Hospital’s Morgue.

At the Kuje Police Station, a police officer confirmed the incident and said the woman is in their custody, while the police are investigating the matter.

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Confusion is the situation report in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State as a 35-year-old evangelist, Mr. Brown Batta, allegedly killed his four-week-old son and wife.



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The young man SUNDAY PUNCH also gathered moments after killing his wife and child equally killed himself.

Residents of Nung Anya Street in Uyo are still confused over what would have made Batta embark on the killing spree.

The incident, our correspondent learnt, took place last Tuesday.

Narrating the ugly episode to SUNDAY PUNCH, on Friday, the landlord of No. 23, Nung Anya Street, where all the deceased were living before their death, Mr. James Atakpa, said the incident came to him as a shock.

Atakpa described Batta as a gentleman, who was known as an evangelist and wondered why he decided to carry out the gruesome act.

The landlord explained that he had already gone to bed after taking his medication on the fateful day when he heard a scream within his compound.

"Initially, I thought armed robbers had struck, but when I eventually came out, I saw a crowd gathered in front of my house. I later saw some people forcing the door to Batta's room open.

"When that was done, what happened was something I could not stand to behold. I was later told that one of my tenants had killed his four-week-old baby, his wife and himself.

"I am very ill as you can see and that was why I left the scene of the incident so that it will not worsen my condition. The man and his baby were found dead with blood stains all over the place," Atakpa stated.

He added that the evangelist's wife, who was initially breathing was rushed to the hospital, where she later died the following day after losing so much blood.

Atakpa said he was told by those at the scene that Batta stabbed his wife before hitting the head of the baby against the wall.

He also disclosed that Batta was found lying helplessly on the floor with deep laceration on his neck, while a part of his stomach was ripped open.

He said the woman's brother, who was shocked on hearing the incident, immediately called in the police, who came in and took the corpses away.

Speaking on the matter, the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Walter Rugbere, described the incident as an open and closed matter, adding that after investigation, it was alleged that Batta killed his wife, baby before committing suicide.

Rugbere added that some people alleged that Batta took the action when he suspected that his wife was cheating on him.

"There is nothing we can do about it because the man that was at the centre of the whole incident has already killed himself. It is an open and close case," the police
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From Tunde Oyedoyin, London A 10-year-old Nigerian girl, Adeoti Ogunsola, described as "charming," by her head teacher, attempted taking her life last on Sunday, as Immigration officials were making plans to deport her and her mother from Britain for the second time this year. advertisement A couple of months ago, Miss Ogunsola, a pupil at the St. Mary's Catholic Primary School, Gillingham, Kent, was detained at the Yarl's Wood immigration centre in Bedfordshire, before being released. According to Friday's edition of the London Evening Standard, which featured the story, the 10-year old made the attempt on her life at the Tinsley House Immigration removal centre at Gatwick airport, where she was detained alongside her mother, Clementina, who was asleep at the time. The paper also disclosed that Ogunsola, who was taken from the custody of her aunt and brought to the removal centre on October 15, eventually won a last minute legal battle on Thursday, when a High Court Judge stopped the family's deportation. However, both mother and daughter had been returned to detention, pending a judicial review next Wednesday. Though the paper didn't make it clear why Miss Ogunsola attempted the suicide, quoting a child psychotherapist's report, it stated that the girl's "mental state would deteriorate if she was detained again and she might attempt (again) to kill herself." But lobbyists, including Bernadette Long, the head teacher of her school, had campaigned that the pair should be allowed to remain in the country. "Adeoti is a charming, friendly, and intelligent little girl. She is passionate about her education and hopes to become a doctor," Long said, in a glowing testimony. But she noted that the detentions had started to take their toll on the aspiring doctor. "Her recent experiences while being detained have impacted on her and she has become very anxious about what will happen if she goes to Nigeria," Long said. However, the UK Border Agency doesn't seem to give a hoot about the girl's condition. David Wood, on behalf of the Agency said: "When the independent courts find a family has no need for protection, we expect them to return home. "If they refuse to leave, we have no choice but to enforce their removal and this can include detaining children, but only as a last resort."
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Suicide : Disquiet over rising rate of suicide

Disquiet over rising rate of suicide Suicide may be defined as an act of deliberate self harm with a fatal outcome. It is an intentional, self-inflicted death. This disturbing phenomenon constitutes a global affliction, with higher rates reported in industrialialized countries of the world compared to less technologically advanced societies. About 1 million people commit suicide all over the world annually with about 3000 such acts occurries daily. For every completed suicide, it is estimated that there are about 20 who attempt it. The World Health Organisation (2004) reported that in the year 2002 alone, about 6000 deaths in Nigeria were due to “self-inflicted injuries” (suicide). A flurry of media reports on individuals who recently committed suicide across our landscape is a cause for disquiet. Indeed, suicide is the “end-point of a complex series of psychological, sociological and situational/personal factors”. In terms of social variables, it is observed to occur more commonly among males (for males to one female), older age groups, people who are single, separated or divorced, the unemployed and those within the two extremes of social class stratification. Middle social class somehow appears to be protective. Consequently, social ills such as social marginalization, isolation and poverty have been associated with suicide. With regards to adverse life events, studies have shown potential triggers of suicide to include: loss events (bereavement), financial difficulties/reversals and the effects of long standing physical illness e.g. chronic diseases. In terms of psychological factors, more than 90% of people who commit suicide are suffering from a recognizable form of mental abnormality. Among the young, minor depression in reaction to life’s frustrations e.g. academic setback, dysfunctional relationship with parents and adolescent problems, are particularly common. In older individuals, severe depressive reactions, personality problems, alcohol and drug abuse, and major mental disorders may be possible causes. Suicide prevention strategies should receive cardinal attention in all communities. Population-based strategies should focus on reducing the availability of lethal methods e.g. controlling the prescription of potentially lethal drugs, health education on safe medication handling, tighter gun control laws, and review of laws in relation to attempted suicide. Other population-based methods will involve developing and implementing policies to tackle homelessness, unemployment and social marginalisation. It is also important to responsibly regulate media reporting and discourage heroic portrayal of suicide. High risk individuals are those who suffer from diagnosable mental disorders especially major depression and the effective preventive strategy among them is to upscale mental health services provision and monitoring in our communities. At this juncture, the review of the Nigerian laws relating to attempted suicide deserves a more critical dissection as a necessary strategy in suicide prevention. While in the industrialized economies, attempted suicide has been de-criminalized, it retains its place as an offence against the person in section 327 of the Criminal Code. Thus, the suicide attempter in Nigeria is viewed as “bad” rather than “mad”. It is therefore disquieting that Nigeria has chosen to remain one of the few countries where suicide attempt is still considered a crime. With the current logic of law, it would seem that the punishment is basically aimed at the “failure” in the act, because “success” i.e. death, apparently exonerates the victim from the wrath of the law. Thus, as long as attempted suicide remains punishable, it is likely that those who employ this absurd mode of dealing with psychological discomfort may be more desperate and diligent in ensuring that they succeed in their attempt at self-mortification, knowing that failure may result in the possibility of incarceration. Therefore, it is our opinion that the current law as it relates to attempted suicide is anachronistic and urgently requires remodeling to conform to modern psychological views on the subject. In conclusion, suicide remains an enigma and a catastrophe whenever and wherever it occurs. We resolve not to ignore those who talk about suicide, even in a casual manner or anyone who seems to have lost the wish to live. Encourage such to have a chat with a mental health professional without delay. Drs. Ogunlesi, Adeowale and Ogunwale, are of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta
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A female bank manager with a new generation bank in Onitsha (names withheld) has committed suicide following her alleged involvement in the defrauding of her bank of over N30 million.advertisementSources close to the bank told Daily Champion that the lady who was said to be in her late 40s was until her death, the operations manager of the bank in Onitsha. She allegedly removed the money from the bank’s vault about a fortnight ago.But the fraud was discovered when a team of auditors from the bank found out that what was in the paper did not tally with the amount in the vault and started to raise questions on what actually happened.The lady from Abia State was absent from the office when the fraud was discovered.When she came to work the following Friday, she was confronted with the missing money, but the lady was said to have excused herself from the other senior staff around and went up the supper floor of the office.While her colleagues were discussing, the lady had plunged from an air conditioner opening on the third floor and landed on the ground outside the bank.The source said it was the shout and cry of people outside the bank that attracted the bank staff, but by then her two legs had broken and she was unconscious.The lady was immediately rushed to New Hope Hospital, Onitsha where she died.Contacted, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka, an Assistant Superintendent (ASP), confirmed the incident but said they are still investigating the matter.Daily Champion, however, learnt that the marketing manager and the auditor of the bank who were detained by the police after the incident, have been granted bail.Sources said that the lady must have been swindled by some con-men who promised to use the money to invest in the lifting of crude oil, but when the game was up and they were not forthcoming, she could not bear it, especially after putting many years of service to the bank.
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