Kogi civil servant owed 11 months salary hangs himself after his wife gives birth to a set of triplets

KOGI State civil servant Edward Soje has committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in the capital Lokoja after his wife gave birth to a set of triplets in what is believed to be an act of exasperation.

Mr Soje, 54,  was director in the Kogi State civil service and earlier today, his dangling body was found on a tree behind the mammy market near the Maigumeri Barracks in Lokoja. It is believed he decided to take his life barely 10 days after his wife of 17 years gave birth to a set of male triplets at a private hospital in Abuja.

They had been childless before then and Mr Soje, a Grade Level 16 officer in the Kogi State Teaching Service Commission, was being owed 11 months’ salary arrears as at the time he took his life. He hailed from Ogori town in Ogori-Magongo Local Government Area of the state.

He had before killing himself travelled to Abuja and left a suicide note for the wife who also works in one of the federal ministries. In the note, Mr Soje quoted Psalm 121:3 "God will not suffer your foot to be moved: He that keepeth you will not slumber. Amen."

In the suicide note, he also wrote: "You and the three boys, the God Almighty will keep you and prosper you, amen. I love you.”

Confirming the incident, the Kogi State Police Command spokesman William Aya, said police moved to the scene and removed the corpse to the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja. He added that nothing was found on the man to help trace his address and family but a search party organised by his relations and friends, found his corpse at the morgue of the hospital.

Family sources said that Mr Soje had before the incident been going through a lot of financial pressure due to non-payment of his salary for 11 months by the Kogi State government. He was among thousands of civil servants being owed between two and 21 months’ salary arrears by the state government.

As a way out, he was said to have sold his only car and a three-bedroom bungalow he was building at Otokiti area of Lokoja. The building which was at lintel level, was sold by Mr Soje at a giveaway price of N1.5m in April to meet urgent family needs.

According to the sources, Soje’s financial woes became compounded when the wife gave birth to a set of triplets through caesarean operation in a private hospital in Abuja on October 7. Mr Soje remained in the hospital to look after wife and children until October 13, a day before the naming ceremony when he decided to come back to Lokoja.

On getting to Lokoja, Mr Soje went straight to his bank to collect the remaining N30,000 in his salary account with one of the commercial banks and thereafter informed the bank in writing about his decision to close the account. He immediately left Lokoja for the hospital in Abuja where he rejoined his wife and handed over the N30,000 cash to her.