Thursday, 28th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Teenage pregnant student commits suicide in Rivers

Residents of Apamini Anex Road in Rumuokoro community, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State were shocked when they learnt that Abibatu, a teenage girl living in the neighbourhood had committed suicide. Abibatu, who was a student of one of the secondary schools in the area and was described by residents as “cool, calm and an…

Residents of Apamini Anex Road in Rumuokoro community, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State were shocked when they learnt that Abibatu, a teenage girl living in the neighbourhood had committed suicide.

Abibatu, who was a student of one of the secondary schools in the area and was described by residents as “cool, calm and an intelligent girl”, was said to have taken insecticide, which eventually choked her to death. Sources said the 17-year-old girl was impregnated by a yet-to-be-identified person, a development that made her parents angry at her.

Abibatu, who was chastised on Friday by her angry parents, was said to have purchased the insecticide from one of the shop owners in the neighbourhood, who was not aware of her plans to commit suicide.

A source from the area disclosed that Abibatu’s body was found on Saturday morning with her mouth reeking of the insecticide she had gulped.

“On Saturday morning, we woke up to hear that the girl was dead. We later learnt that the girl drank mosquito killer. We also heard that the parents were angry with her because she got pregnant. She might have committed suicide because of the shame.

“We know her as a very calm person and we never knew she was capable of such act; we never knew she could take her own life in such a manner,” the source, who does not want his name mentioned said.

According to another source, few days before her death, she was observed crying at a spot in the neighbourhood. Unknown to her parents, she had already given up on life and decided to commit suicide. “She asked for insecticides from traders within the neighbourhood on Friday but could not get to buy.

“Unable to get her desired poisonous insecticides, she was said to have collected a rat poison known as ‘Sniper’ from an unsuspecting neighbour. She pretended that she was going to use it to kill rats but drank it. Her lifeless body was discovered on Friday morning. She did not leave a suicide note but a close look at her body showed her mouth smelled of the rat poison.”

However, the parents of the girl could not be reached as neighbours said they (parents) were too traumatised to speak.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Nnamdi Omoni, told newsmen that though the matter had not been reported to the police, he was aware of the incident.

Omoni said: “I heard that the parents chased the girl out of the house after they noticed she was pregnant. But the girl went and committed suicide. The parents appear to be afraid to go to the police. For now, nobody has come to report that matter. The command is not aware because there is no complaint before us.”

At the Rumuodamaya Special Area Divisional Police Station where the matter was first reported, officers refused to comment on it. A source, however, said the matter would be investigated.

In this article

0 Comments