Night guard commits suicide in Ekiti

A 49-year-old night guard in Ekiti State civil service, Mr. Abolarinwa Olaoye, on Tuesday night hanged himself within the state secretariat in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

The body of the father of five, who was a night guard at the Ekiti State Scholarship Board, was found hanged with a clothing material to the railing of a building at the Ministry of Education, where he had reported to duty at about 6:00p.m. on Tuesday.

The development caused some uneasiness within the state secretariat, as civil servants were seen clustering near the scene and lamenting the horrible twist of event for the man they described as jovial and amiable while alive.

The Boxer MB 100 brand motorcycle with registration number ADK 210 WS brought by the deceased to the office was parked within the building.

The deceased, according to an in-law, Mrs. Elizabeth Babalola, also engaged in commercial motorcycle operation and farming to support his guard work.

Olaoye, a native of Igogo Ekiti, Moba Local Government Area of the state, according to Babalola, came to her at about 4:30p.m. on Tuesday, lamenting the huge debt he had incurred in recent times. “He came to me lamenting that his house rent was due and he could not pay due to irregular salary payment.

“He said he was indebted to the government through housing and car loans he obtained. He also complained about his inability to meet other financial commitments to his wife’s family. He told me he could go ahead and do something nasty, as he was tired of life. I tried to persuade him not to resort to anything nasty. I told him life is full of ups and downs and he should just endure, but I never knew he would end this way,” she said.

The Executive Secretary of Ekiti State Scholarship Board, Mr. Ayo Ajimat, confirmed that the deceased was a worker with the board before his demise.

As at the time of filing this report, the body of the man was still hanging to the wall due to the insistence of some people that certain rituals would be performed before he can be brought down.

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and policemen came to the scene but they could not remove the body as they said they were waiting for the family from Igogo Ekiti to arrive before taking any action.