DEVOUT MEMBER OF DEEPER LIFE BIBLE CHURCH IN AYOBO TAKES HIS OWN LIFE OVER N47,000

A devout member of Deeper Life Bible Church in Ayobo and a native of Benin in Edo State, Mr. Fredrick Ehigator this morning, took his own life. According to the wife, Fredrick who is a father of two Graduate girls told her he was owing his colleagues at work a sum of N47,000 which is the accumulation of the contribution he was told to keep. She said she was thinking of who to meet for assistance in raising the money only to be met with this tragedy.

When it was obvious he could not pay back when the money was due and he didn’t want to run to anybody for help except his wife who could do little or nothing, Fredrick, a 54 year old man, resorted to taking his own life. Late Mr. Fredrick who still has both father and mother alive was said to be a very devout and easy going Christian. His Pastor who spoke with Alimosho Standard said he still saw the late man this morning when he came to drop the keys to the church and never had premonition of what he was about to do. According to the Pastor, everything looked alright and if he wasn’t a wizard, he could not have read his mind. The Pastor wondered why he didn’t talk about his problem because they would have rallied round him after all, “how much was the money” he said.

The man knew his wife was off to her shop, his two daughters were away and before anybody could come into the house, it probably would be evening. At around 9 am this morning, he decided it was the perfect time to take his own life with a rope tied to his neck. His wife who knew something was wrong and wanted to keep a tab on her husband called his phone and it was switched off. It was then she rushed to the Okada Park where the husband was working and she was told he had not been seen. She rushed home to meet his dangling body in their house, #41, Koloba Street, Ayobo, Alimosho Lagos.

The late man whose father and mother are still alive has a brother who works at Lagos State University, LASU and another brother who lectures at University of Benin, UNIBEN. What then could have caused him to take his own life when he had two Graduate girls? The wife said he told her he was owing N47,000 but the Okada men said it was N80,000 and interest on it made it N100,000. Since he could not produce the money, his Okada was seized as a punishment.

When his brother came, he told the people it is unfortunate this had to happen. He said in their part of the country, when someone dies in this manner, he is buried in the forest and he wondered why his brother had to take his own life. The Baale of the community, High Chief Adeyanju, Baale of Koloba said such incident had never occurred in Koloba and for them to appease the gods, the family should provide Obi Abata, Orogbo, Atare, Obuko and Oti.

The case has been reported at the Alagolo police station.