Kogi civil service director commit suicide ten days after wife delivers triplets
The lifeless body of a senior civil servant in Kogi State, Edward Soje was found hanging on a tree on Saturday just about a week after he was declared missing.
Soje’s body was found on a tree last weekend to the shock of colleagues and family members who had been searching for him.
The 54-year-old late director allegedly decided to take his life barely 10 days that his wife gave birth to a set of male triplets in a private hospital in Abuja after 17 years of childlessness.
Soje’s issue may have been compounded by his being owed 11 months salary by Kogi State. He was Grade Level 16 Officer in the State Teaching Service Commission and was owed 11 months’ salary arrears as of the time he took his life.
He was said to have earlier traveled to Abuja and left a suicide note for his wife, who also works in one of the federal ministries in the state.
The suicide note reads, “Psalm 121:3 says God will not suffer your foot to be moved. He that keepeth you will not slumber. Amen. You and the three boys, God Almighty will keep you prosperous. Amen. I love you.”
Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, William Aya, said the dangling body of Soje was found on a tree behind the barracks at about 5.55 pm on October 16.
Family sources said Soje had, before the incident, been going through a lot of financial crisis due to the non-payment of his salary for 11 months by the Kogi State Government.
He was among thousands of workers being owed between two and 21 months’ salary arrears by the government.
According to sources, Soje’s financial woes became compounded when the wife gave birth to a set of triplets through a Caesarian Section in a private hospital in Abuja on October 7.
The deceased remained in the hospital to look after his wife and children until Oct. 13, a day before the naming ceremony when he decided to return to Lokoja.
On getting to Lokoja, Soje was said to have gone straight to his bank to collect the remaining N30,000 in his account and thereafter informed his bankers in writing about his decision to close the account.
He was said to have left Lokoja for the hospital in Abuja, where he handed over the N30, 000 to his wife. He later left the hospital on the pretext that he wanted to pick a few things from the wife’s apartment in Abuja with a promise to come back quickly.
But Soje did not come back for hours and did not pick any of the numerous calls made to his telephone, a development which forced the wife to send somebody to the house to ascertain what was happening to him.
