Man, 45, rescued from jumping into Lagos lagoon over N500,000 debt

A father of two children, Adeyinka Abiodun, has been rescued from committing suicide over a debt of N500,000.

Abiodun who resides in the Ikotun area of Lagos State had embarked on a mission to take his own life by jumping into the lagoon.

He, however, failed in the bid as he was promptly intercepted by police operatives deployed in the Third Mainland Bridge.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Lagos, Bala Elkana, confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday.

He revealed that the suicide attempt was thwarted by the security operatives at about 1:50pm on Friday last week while the victim was rescued and taken to the Police Station in Bariga for questioning and debriefing.

Hope For Second Chance

According to Elkana, Abiodun narrated that he procured a loan of N390,000 in March with monthly repayment plan for six months and accrued interest of N142,287:25 from a microfinance bank in Lagos Island.

He was said to have collected the loan with intent to upgrade his wine retail business, but the business failed and the money was lost.

When contacted by the police, the microfinance bank confirmed that the man collected the loan.

Abiodun’s hope for a second chance later came into realisation when the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was moved with compassion came to his rescue by repaying the loan.

Elkana noted that the latest incident was the eighth suicide attempt successfully foiled by the police in Lagos in the last two months.

Worried by the rate at which people kill themselves, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Hakeem Odumosu, urged residents to always explore other means of addressing life challenges than resorting to committing suicide.

He stressed that taking their own life was never an option and called on well-meaning individuals to always reach out to the needy and less privileged persons around them.

“Together we can stop suicide,” the commissioner said.

Abiodun, according to Elkana, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and a Master’s degree in Business Administration.

As of the time of this report, he is attending medical and counselling sessions. (Channels TV)