200 level Otuoke University student commits suicide over academic failure

A 200-level student of the department of History and Diplomacy at the Federal University Otuoke (FUO) Bayelsa State, Arikekpar Lucky, has committed suicide to reportedly escape being tagged as a failure in academics by members of his family.

The Guardian gathered that the deceased, a one-time aspirant of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Student Representative, Central Zone, took his life at the wee hours of Monday.

The 27-years-old student who hails from Otuakeme, Ogbia Local Government Area, hung himself with a rope tied to a ceiling fan after locking the door and windows, behind him.

Sources in the university community, who preferred anonymity, said that this is not the first time the deceased had attempted to take his life, saying he had made such attempts twice last year.

It was gathered that Lucky decided to kill himself following his family tagging him as a failure in life.

A source said, “that his family always complain that he spends too much effort, time and money on Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) politics rather than facing his studies.”

The Guardian gathered that Lucky left a suicide note expressing frustrations with the pressure from his relative, saying they left him with no option than to kill himself for peace to reign.

When contacted, a family member, who pleaded anonymity, said that the family would have taken the matter seriously but with the suicide note he left behind, they had to accept the situation and move on.

He said that “the young man has been buried according to the tradition of the Ogbia people when such tragic incidents occur.”

When contacted, the spokesperson of the Bayelsa State Police Command, Asinim Butswat, confirmed the incident but stated that no official report had been made at the command headquarters yet.

He promised to get across to the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Kolo Police Station, in the area.

Police spokesperson in the university Mercy Ekort, who also confirmed the incident, told our correspondent that the body of the student has been retrieved by the family.

Spokesman of the Student Union Government, (SUG) Kojo Debekeme, who also confirmed the incident, said that the student died out of depression, as he could not cope with some family issues.