By JUSTINA ASISHANA, Minna

Two middle-aged men have committed suicide in Rijau local government area of Niger state.

The incidents, which occurred on different occasions, have put the number of suicide in the last two months in the local government area to 13.

The two deceased men, identified as Barde Swashi and Jibrin Dakarkari, hanged themselves on a tree and did not leave any suicide note.

In the case of Barde Swashi, his decomposed body was found hanging on a branch of mango tree inhis farm in Darangi community in Rijau in the early hours of Friday.

His family members said he left home without any information of his destination, stating they never noticed he was going through any problem that would cause him to take his life.

“On that fateful day, he never displayed any strange act and we never suspected that he was going to hang himself in his own farm.

“It was therefore very surprising for us to receive the shocking news that a middle-aged man corpse was seen dangling on a branch of a mango tree in a farm and on getting to the farm, we discovered the corpse to be our own person,” a family member stated.

Jubrin Dakarkari, who was in his mid-60s from Dukku community had complained to neighbours that he could not continue living without having any tangible job that would put food on his table.

But the neighbours never thought it would lead him to take his life.

Jubrin was found hanging on a tree at the back of his house in the early hours of penultimate Wednesday.

One of his neighbours, who spoke to newsmen, said: “We never thought that he was going to commit suicide with that comment he made as we all convinced him that all will be alright.”

Residents of Rijau local government are worried over the increasing incidents of suicide especially among the elderly people within 55 to 60 years and have called on the government to begin sensitisation programmes that would reassure people not to take their lives. (Text, excluding headline, courtesy The Nation)

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