The horrors of the grave closed in on no fewer than 42 Nigerians, among them 11 students, who committed suicide within the first and second quarters of this year alone, according to an investigation published this morning by Daily Trust. Majority of the victims ended their lives by consuming the deadly insecticide called sniper while others either drank acid or set selves afire, the report said.

It listed the 11 students to include Chukwuemeka Akachi, a 400-level student at the Department of English and Literary Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsuka (UNN); Samuel Elias, 25, another final year student of the Department of Religion and Culture, UNN; Christabel Omoremime Buoro, a 21-year-old 300-level student of the Department of Medical Laboratory Science, University of Benin (UNIBEN); Uzakah Timi Ebiweni, a 300-level medical student of the Niger Delta University (NDU), Amassoma, Southern Ijaw area council of Bayelsa State; and Hikmat Gbadamosi, a 100-level student of the Chemical Engineering Department of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

“Apart from the students, 31 other Nigerians from different walks of life also committed suicides during the period in review,” the Daily Trust report said, adding:

“Our checks further showed that sixteen of the suicide cases occurred in five states of the South-West part of the country with Lagos topping the pack with 11 cases. Oyo State recorded 2 cases while Ekiti, Ogun and Ondo had one case each.

“The South-South zone recorded 7 suicide cases within the period under review in 4 states namely: Edo (2), Delta (2), Bayelsa (2) and Rivers (1).

“Similarly, 6 suicide cases were recorded in the 3 South-East states of Anambra (6), Ebonyi (1) and Enugu (1). The North-Central zone recorded 5 cases in 4 states involving 2 in Kogi with 1 each in Benue, Kwara and Nasarawa while the North West zone recorded 3 cases in two states; Kano (2) and Jigawa (1).

“Two cases were recorded 2 North-East states where Borno and Bauchi states recorded 1 suicide case each.”

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