A 72-year-old retired soldier has allegedly committed suicide in his compound opposite St. Joseph Catholic Church in Nyiniongun, a suburb of Makurdi, Benue State.

The deceased, whose name was given as, Francis Dooga, allegedly hanged himself to death on a tree at his residence.

A neighbour, who spoke ona condition of anonymity, said Dooga popularly known as ‘old soldier,’ committed the act while members of his family were away from home.

The neigbour, who said the body of the retiree was found dangling on the tree at about 6:00pm on Sunday, wondered why he took the decision.

Some residents of the area alleged that the late retiree had earlier complained of hardship.

It was gathered that the deceased was complaining about being defrauded of his pension by some persons around him and was worried about not getting his pension in bulk from the pension board.

The spokeswoman of the Police in Benue, SP Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident in a text message to our correspondent. (Courtesy, excluding headline, Daily Trust)