Ebonyi resident faced with hunger, sets self ablaze

The police in Ebonyi State on Monday rushed a 37-year-old man, Chinedu Nweze, to the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, for treatment after he allegedly set himself ablaze. They are also investigating the self-immolation of Nweze over his inability to feed himself.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the man set himself ablaze beside a classroom block at St. Patrick’s Primary School, Kpirikpiri, Abakaliki. He was said to have tied his own legs and doused himself with petrol before setting himself ablaze.

NAN learnt that Nweze, who hails from Umuogharu, Ezza North Local Government Area of the state, had complained to his neighbours of frustration and inability to feed himself a day before the incident.

The Ebonyi Police command spokesperson, Mrs. Lovett Odah, told NAN that the command was investigating the incident to ascertain whether it was a suicide attempt or not.

“The command dispatched an ambulance to the scene of the incident and took the man to hospital after it received a distress call from a member of the public. Police are currently carrying out investigation into the incident; but for now, we have very sketchy information about the incident and cannot confirm if the act was a suicide attempt or not,” Odah said.

According to her, the man is now recuperating at the hospital.