An alarming viral video showing a young man jumping suicidally into the lagoon at Epe, Lagos State, on December 14, marred the festive end-of-year atmosphere. His body was found two days later.

It was initially unclear why 25-year-old Olamilekan Odunare decided to kill himself. He had a diploma from Lagos State Polytechnic where he studied Quantity Surveying, and worked at Alaro City, a mega estate in the Lekki Free Zone in Lagos. He had a 21-year-old wife and an 11-month-old daughter.

But his inner life was problematic. His wife, Sofiat Amusa, revealed that “he had been acting strangely for some days before his death. I complained about his strange behaviour to his parents but they ignored it until he died.” She also said “lack of parental care, depression and frustration” contributed to his death.

Suicidal depression, which she blames for the tragedy, often results from a suicide victim feeling that they can’t cope with what seems to be an overwhelming life situation. If they don’t have hope for the future, they may think suicide is the only way out.

Such feelings of hopelessness can be worsened by alcohol and drug abuse. This was possibly a factor in Odunare’s case. According to his wife, “He was a drug addict. He did not take Colorado but he took Arizona. But before the incident occurred, he didn’t do drugs.” Colorado and Arizona are street names for strong mind-bending variants of cannabis.

Nigeria has the highest rate of suicide and depression in Africa, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The current rate of suicide in the country is 9.50 per cent out of 100, 000 people. The global health agency also found that 80 per cent of suicides occur among low-income earners and those disempowered by poor socio-economic conditions.

In Nigeria, those who want to kill themselves usually do so by ingesting pesticides, especially a brand known as ‘Sniper,’ self-immolation, drowning and drug overdose. In 2019, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) banned the manufacture of small bottles of ‘Sniper,’ which were easily purchased for household use, in response to its increasing use for suicide.

Suicide is an unacceptable approach to solving problems that life may bring. Attempted suicide is a crime under Nigerian law, punishable by one year in prison.

However, in 2015, Lagos State introduced a law that recommends treatment for those caught attempting suicide. It is the only state in the country where there is such a law. The novel law is based on the thinking that attempted suicide is fundamentally a mental health issue requiring treatment, and should not be criminalised.

Importantly, Odunare’s wife observed that “if he was monitored closely, it would not have led to death.” This raises the question of help available to prevent people from taking their own lives.

The observance of World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) since 2003 underlines international efforts to tackle the issue. The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) and WHO collaborate to promote the event.

Suicide prevention priorities, according to these bodies, include the need to develop and implement awareness campaigns, with the aim of increasing awareness of suicidal behaviours in the community, the need to increase the availability of mental health resources and to reduce barriers to accessing care, and the need to reduce stigma and promote mental health literacy among the general population and health care professionals.

Also, they stressed the need to reach people who don’t seek help, and hence don’t receive treatment when they are in need of it, and the need to influence governments to develop suicide prevention strategies and to support the implementation of those strategies that have been demonstrated to save lives. The country’s authorities should take note and take action.

It is tragic that Odunare’s suicide has made his wife and daughter more vulnerable. This pathetic case further underlines the need for society and the authorities to take suicide prevention more seriously.

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