Connect with us

Metro

C’African Republic National Found Hanging In Lagos Apartment

Published

on

A national of the Central African Republic, identified simply as Banteme, has been found hanging from a ceiling in his apartment located in the Ijede, Ikorodu area of Lagos State, in a circumstance suspected to be suicide.

According to The PUNCH, the incident occurred on Wednesday after his roommate had discovered Banteme’s lifeless body upon returning from work.

A counterinsurgency expert, Zagzola Makama, who shared some details of the incident on X, noted that the 23-year-old foreign national had left his office earlier in the day to prepare a meal at home but was later found hanging in the kitchen.

Advertisement

The roommate was said to have raised the alarm upon the discovery, and police were invited to the scene.

Makama tweeted, “A 23-year-old citizen of the Central African Republic has reportedly committed suicide at his residence in the Ijede area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.

READ ALSO:Man Commits Suicide In Oyo

Advertisement

“The deceased, identified only as Banteme, was said to have been discovered by his roommate, Achil Doungo, on Wednesday at Anuoluwapo Estate, Phase 2, Igbelara.

“Neighbours and friends described the incident as shocking, adding that no note or message was left behind by the deceased to explain his action.”

He continued that the body of the deceased was evacuated and deposited at a morgue by the police.

Advertisement

“The body was evacuated to Ikorodu General Hospital, where it was confirmed dead and deposited in the morgue for autopsy by the police,” Makama stated.

READ ALSO:Tragedy As UNILORIN Undergraduate Commits Suicide Over ‘Hardship’

Contacted for a reaction on Sunday, the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police Command, Babaseyi Oluseyi, confirmed the incident.

Advertisement

The DPRO noted that the friend of the deceased had reported to the police on Wednesday, after which the police visited the scene and evacuated the body.

The incident happened. A friend of the deceased reported the matter to the police on Wednesday, September 3. Police operatives visited the scene and evacuated the body, which was deposited at the morgue for autopsy.

“It is suspected to be a suicide case, but the police are still conducting an investigation,” Oluseyi said in a telephone interview with our correspondent.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:Waterways: A Plea Against Suicide[OPINION]

The death of Banteme joins the growing trend of suicide across various communities in Nigeria.

THE PUNCH had reported last Thursday that the Anambra State Police Command rescued a man from attempted suicide after he climbed a high-tension pole in the Awada area of the state.

Advertisement

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Tochukwu Ikenga, had noted in a statement that upon receipt of the information, police operatives mobilised to the scene, cordoned off the area, and persuaded the victim.

The growing suicide trend has been blamed on the economic hardship ravaging the country and the resultant effect on the mental health of citizens.

Advertisement

Metro

Residents Flee Kogi Community Over Fear Of Bandit Attacks

Published

on

Hundreds of residents of Okunran village in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State have deserted their homes following persistent attacks by armed bandits.

A viral video circulating on social media showed the once-bubbling community completely deserted, with houses abandoned and streets empty.

Okunran, once a bubbling town, is now a ghost town,” a resident said.

Advertisement

The villagers said they fled to escape incessant kidnappings, killings, and ransom demands that have plagued the community.

READ ALSO:Army Kills Notorious Bandit, Babangida, In Kogi

The government has failed us, security agencies have failed us. If we remain here, we will be consumed by bandits. We are tired of paying ransom and contributing money for bandits,” said Akin Samuel, a fleeing resident.

Advertisement

The Guardian learnt that neighbouring communities, including Okoloke and Egbe, are also considering leaving if the attacks persist.

The abduction of the first-class traditional ruler of Okoloke, 90-year-old Pa. Dada James Ogunyanda, in May 2025, deepened the climate of fear in the area. Although he was released after a ransom was paid, the monarch has refused to return to his palace.

A native of Okunran, Auwal Maroof, who now lives in Lokoja, said the decision to flee became inevitable.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:One Dead, Five Injured In Kogi Road Crash

We have been praying for God’s intervention, but the insecurity persists to the point that fleeing was the only option to stay alive,” he said.

Egbe, the commercial hub of Yagba, is feared to be vulnerable due to its close connection with neighbouring Kwara State, where the bandits are suspected to be coming from.

Advertisement

Local sources report that at least 10 people, including seven police officers and three civilians, were killed by bandits in Yagba within one week this month.

The Chairman of Yagba East Local Government recently imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in a bid to contain the crisis, while the Kogi State government and the senator representing the district have pledged to rid the area of bandits.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Metro

18 Dead, Dozens Missing In Zamfara Mine Collapse

Published

on

Rescuers in Nigeria are searching for dozens of people missing after a boulder crashed onto an illegal mine during heavy rains, killing at least 18 people, local sources told AFP on Saturday.

The rock came crashing down on Thursday on the mine in the northern Zamfara state outside the Kadauri village in the Maru district, they said.

“We have managed to pull out 18 dead bodies from the pit and five other survivors who sustained various degrees of injuries,” Sani Lawwali, a miner who works in unauthorised pits, said from Kadauri.

Advertisement

A dozen other miners were still trapped inside and their fate remained unknown, said Lawwali, who took part in the rescue effort.

READ ALSO:

“The process is slow and laborious as we use our bare hands to chisel the end of the boulder to make holes for limited access into the pit,” he said.

Advertisement

Rescuers have asked for a bulldozer being used at a nearby road construction site to be brought in to help, but had not yet received a response from the company using it, Lawwali added.

Abubakar Nabube, a local community leader, confirmed the death toll of 18. He said that 15 of those killed came from the nearby Maikwanugga and Damaga villages.

If no help comes from emergency agencies soon, none of those trapped would come out alive,” he said.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:Bandits Attack Mosque In Zamfara, Kill, Abduct Worshippers

Zayyanu Ibrahim, a resident of Kadauri village said the collapse occurred at one of several newly dug sites in the recently established mining site.

“Dozens of miners were working in the pit while it heavily rained outside. A huge boulder at the mouth of the pit collapsed and buried miners inside,” said Ibrahim, who also confirmed the toll.

Advertisement

Sani Abdullahi, a councillor in the area, said it was difficult to say how many people there were in the pit at the time of the accident.

READ ALSO:Zamfara Gov Disburses ₦322m To Support 8,225 Schoolgirls

Officials from the Nigerian emergency agency NEMA did not respond to an AFP enquiry about the accident.

Advertisement

Zamfara, a poor agrarian state, is rich in gold deposits where illegal artisanal mining thrives in the countryside, despite several attempts by authorities to stop the practice.

The authorities have blamed illegal mining for the worsening of bandit violence, with criminal gangs getting money from protection fees they extort from miners.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Metro

Police Confirm Abduction Of 17 Passengers Along Calabar Waterway

Published

on

The Police Command in Cross River has confirmed the abduction of 17 passengers by sea pirates along the Calabar Waterways.

The command’s Deputy Public Relations Officer, DSP Igri Ewa, who made the confirmation on Saturday in Calabar, said that the passengers were abducted on Thursday.

Ewa said that the command had already swung into action to ensure the ‘immediate and prompt’ rescue of the abductees.

Advertisement

According to the police spokesperson, a serving police officer in Akwa Ibom and a popular politician in Cross River who were on board the boat narrowly escaped abduction.

READ ALSO:Six Arrested For Alleged Killing Of Police Constable In Bayelsa

A passenger who preferred anonymity told newsmen that the boat was attacked a few minutes after take-off from Oron en route Calabar.

Advertisement

They stopped our boat, transferred some passengers to their boat, and when their boat was full, they took off.

“When we arrived at the Inland Waterways Jetty, we were thoroughly quizzed by the police. Our statements were later taken before we were allowed to go home.”

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending