By OLAJIDE IDOWU

A middle-aged woman, on Wednesday, attempted taking her life in Osogbo by jumping into Osun river before she was rescued by residents of the area.

The woman, who identified herself as Kafayat Alake, shortly after the rescue, said she decided to end her life out of the frustration, occasioned by economic hardship.

An eyewitness, David Johnson, who dived into the river to rescue the woman, explained that he saw her trekking in the middle of the road, only for her to stop when she got to the middle of the bridge, climbed the railings and jumped into the river.

“The whole thing happened so fast that we could not stop her.

“However, after she had jumped, people called for help, prompting me to dive in and pull her out of the water,” he narrated.

Speaking incoherently, the rescued Alake, who hails from Alapaaro, Isale Osun, Osogbo, said that she had three children, whom she could no longer cater for due to her financial predicament.

Alake, who said that she that she had been separated with her husband for 13 years, added that he (the husband) lived in Lagos.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Dr Olamiju Olasiji, who said he could not comment until he got proper briefing on the incident, later called the State Emergency Ambulance Service (O’ Ambulance) which took the woman away for proper medical attention.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Yemisi Opatola, confirmed the incident, saying that the woman had been taken to the hospital for proper medical attention.

She, however, said that preliminary investigation showed that Alake might be having some mental challenges. (NAN)

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