by Oge Okonkwo

The medical director of City Convalescent Clinic, identified only as Okereke, committed suicide early yesterday at his residence, 13, Aliu Street, Kosofe by Ile-Iwe Bus-stop, Ketu, Lagos.

The body of the deceased was discovered by his wife, his lifeless frame dangling from a ceiling fan in one of the rooms of their two-storey building, which also houses a clinic.

According to sources, the reason he committed suicide is not known as he did not leave any suicide note behind.

PM News reports:

A neighbour of the deceased, told P.M.NEWS that they woke up this morning and  heard people wailing from the clinic and when they got there the wife of the deceased, who wept uncontrollably, narrated how she discovered the lifeless body of her late husband hanging from the ceiling this morning.

Disu said from what he gathered from the widow, they both slept together in one of their rooms but when she noticed that the deceased was no longer with her, she decided to check in the vacant rooms.

Disu stated further that the wife, while wailing, said she couldn’t fathom why her middle-aged husband would decide to commit suicide.

“The wife of the deceased is yet to come to terms with the reality that her husband is no more. From what she said, her late husband left her in their room. And after waiting for a while, she decided to look for her husband only for her to find the lifeless body hanging from a ceiling fan in an adjoining room,” Disu said

A woman, identified as Iya Kafayat, described the deceased as an easy going man who was always ready to treat an ailing patient that comes to his hospital.

Iya Kafayat, who was close to tears while speaking with our correspondent, wondered what could have prompted the deceased to take his life. “I don’t think it is an ordinary thing. Maybe he was charmed into committing suicide but I don’t want to believe that because only the Almighty Allah knows what actually went wrong,” she said.

Okechukwu Obinna, one of the onlookers in front of the clinic said he is still in shock over why a loving man would decide to commit suicide, when things are apparently going on well for him.

An elderly woman who had known the deceased for close to two decades said the late Medical Director could have killed himself as a result of pressure from his erstwhile wife.

According to her, the deceased was married to his first wife for 10 years without her bearing him a child.

“He had to marry the present wife who bore him the two kids he left behind,” the woman told P.M.NEWS.

She added that the hospital, where the deceased committed suicide, had been shut for close to 15 years before it was reopened.

Attempts to speak with the Divisional Police Officer the Alapere Police Station proved abortive as our correspondent was directed to the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Ngozi Braide.

When Braide was contacted, she said she is yet to be briefed about what happened.

As at the time of filing this report people were still milling around the hospital in shock over the incident. The late Okereke left behind a boy and a girl.