Man Commits Suicide at UCH Ibadan

 

A man, probably in his 50s, on Wednesday jumped from fifth floor of a storey building of the University College Hospital (UCH) and died instantly.

The alleged suicide by the deceased brought more questions than answers on why the man chose the hospital to take his own life.

The hospital's Public Relations Officer, Deji Bobade, said: "It is so unfortunate that this is a hospital where people come for medical treatment. It was so unfortunate that a man, let's call him Mr. S, decided to come here and commit suicide.

"At about 9 a.m., I reviewed a call that somebody jumped down from the fifth floor. We are at a loss at what he was doing on the fifth floor because there are no wards on that floor. Patients and their relations are not expected to be on the fifth floor because the floor houses our museum.

"The museum is under lock and key now because of the ongoing JOHESU strike. So it was a surprise to us when we got to know that the man jumped down from the fifth floor, leaving only his leather slippers on the floor.

"There was no single information that we could have used to identify him. But we have invited men of Oyo State Police Command, maybe when they go through his body, they might be able to see any means of identification. But none was left on the fifth floor where he jumped from."

Asked about the suicide note purportedly left behind by the deceased, Bobade explained that he was not "aware that the man left a note behind because my workers were around and they told me that the man left his leather slippers on the fifth floor where he jumped from. It is possible that when we settled down, we would be able to certify if actually he left a note behind."

On why security personnel allowed the man to get to the fifth floor, he responded: "Our security personnel are internal ones. They are members of JOHESU and they are on strike. So, there was no way anybody could have expected anybody to be at the fifth floor, except the person has decided to pass a night there or to commit suicide as he did. It was so unfortunate that it happened within the hospital. It was a case of suicide, nothing more than a suicide."

Eyewitnesses said the lifeless body of the man was seen on the floor opposite the mortuary in the hospital.

The man, who was said to be in his 50s, removed his pairs of black leather slippers and put same on the fifth floor before he took a dive to the ground.

Grapevine said the deceased, who wore blue ‘Ankara’ clothes, left a note behind in which he allegedly said he committed the suicide because he was duped of N30million. The note is said to be with the police.

At the scene, splash of the deceased blood was on the floor opposite UCH morgue. But the body of the deceased was said to have been deposited at the same morgue.