Tragic: 10-year old boy commits suicide in Delta, step-mother hospitalized

By Atevure Princess,

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A 10-year old boy, simply identified as Emmanuel, today (Friday) at Ujevwu, Udu Local Government Area, Delta State took his life at about 5pm, throwing the once peaceful community into pandemonium.

ADVOCATE gathered that the deceased who stayed with his father, Mr Raphael and his step-mother popularly called “Madam Visa,” a money lender hanged himself with a wrapper tied to iron bar at the corridor of their bungalow.

According to a source who spoke to our correspondent; but pleaded for anonymity, stated that the deceased about two years ago had attempted to take his life in the village, while staying with his grandmother, but the timely intervention of the grandmother save him that day and was later taken to church for prayers.

However, he was not that lucky this time as he was home alone with his younger sister, according to his younger sister who is about 8 years old, the late Emmanuel was speaking aloud while sleeping saying repeatedly that, “someone must die today.”

Narrating the incident, the young girl said that, “Emmanuel woke up from sleep and was laughing, suddenly he went inside to get a wrapper, he tied it to the iron bar, while climbing a chair and he tied his neck and then kicked the chair off his feet.

The little girl made efforts to save him by trying to untie the wrapper, while holding him up but she was overwhelmed, that is when she shouted for help until neighbours came to their rescue.

However, efforts to save the boy proved abortive; because he died before they got to the hospital he was rushed to and as at the time of filing this report the boy has been buried.

ADVOCATE also learnt that the couple were not at home and their tenant had also gone out, leaving only the children who had returned from school at home.

Our reporter further gathered that the stepmother is hospitalized following the shock of the incident and was hard murmuring that the boy wants to spoil her name.

As at the time of filing this report, effort to confirm the incident from the police was unsuccessful as calls to the force PPRO didn’t go through.