Nursing mother commits suicide after baby dedication

Culled from Punch

A 35-year-old woman, identified as Ejobosele Okoruwa. has committed suicide in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government, Edo State, few hours after dedicating her three months old baby in a church.

Ejobosele dedicated her baby on Sunday, while she killed herself in the early hours of Monday. Her lifeless body was found dangling from the ceiling with the wrapper she allegedly used to hang herself.

Husband of the deceased, Okoruwa told journalists that he slept in the sitting room with two of his children, while his wife slept in the bedroom with their eldest daughter and the baby.

Okoruwa said it was shouts from his daughter around 2am that woke him up, adding that he rushed inside the room only to see his wife dangling from the ceiling.

He said recent behaviour of his wife indicated that she was depressed, but it did not occur to him that she would take her own life.

He said, “I usually sleep in the parlour with two of our children and it was not different that day. My wife slept in the bedroom with our eldest daughter and the baby.

“Around 2am, my daughter started shouting from the bedroom. I rushed inside, thinking that she was having a nightmare, but I was shocked to see the lifeless body of my wife dangling from the ceiling. She had hung herself.

“She had been exhibiting some strange behaviour recently. One time she would be moody; the next, she will just be looking at one direction. When you call her she would not respond.

“I tried to know if she had any problem bothering her, but she said she was okay. There was a time she told my eldest daughter to take care of the children that she would be going away. I thought she was abandoning the marriage. I pleaded and she promised to stay. She equally complained of some health problems. I asked her to go for test which she did.”

The Divisional Police Officer in-charge of Esan West, Mr. Akpoko Omuohowo, who confirmed the incident, said the police were still investigating.