Drama As Rivers Community Bills Suicide Victim’s Parents For Cleansing

The Elekahia community in the Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of Rivers State had its serenity shattered on Friday after an 18-year-old boy allegedly took his own life in the community.

The incident occurred around 3pm on Friday on Aholu Street, Elekahia, a densely populated area.

The PUNCH correspondent, who visited the community, gathered that the lifeless body of the boy, identified as Confidence, was found in their sitting room, with a rope around his neck tied to the hook of a ceiling fan.

A resident told Sunday PUNCH that it was one of the deceased younger siblings who just returned from school that discovered the scene and raised the alarm.

The source said within minutes, a crowd of residents had gathered, even as people from neighbouring streets trooped to the place to confirm if what they heard was true.

He stated, “I think the boy was the only son of his parents. He had two sisters. All of them just returned from the village two days ago.

“He tied a rope around his neck to a ceiling fan hook. A side stool fell beside his leg.

“There was nobody at home, even his parents. He was home alone then. It was his younger sister that came back from school that saw him hanging like that.

“Neighbours called the boy’s parents. They almost collapsed, but people around held them.”

Continuing in an emotion-laden voice, he said, “You know that sort of a thing is an abomination. So, an elder in the community went to inform the compound chief of what happened.

“According to tradition, the chief will inform other title holders in the community.

“They did what they needed to do before the body was brought down. Those who carried the body didn’t allow his leg to touch the ground.”

He further said parents of the deceased were handed a list of items to buy to enable the elders to perform a land-cleansing ritual “for such a thing not to happen again in the community”.

When our correspondent visited the area around 5.15pm on Friday, different groups of sympathisers and residents were seen discussing the development.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, confirmed the incident, adding that investigation was ongoing.

She stated, “Yes, I can confirm the incident. It is unfortunate and we (police) have commenced investigation to ascertain what could have made him commit suicide.”