Man commits suicide over inability to pay N35,000 house rent

A 43-year-old auto mechanic, Obi Orji, killed himself yesterday in Minna following his inability to pay his house rent and threat of eviction from his landlord.

It was gathered that Obi committed suicide by drinking a poisonous chemical in the early hours of yesterday.

Leadership reports that Obi who resides at Kateren Gwari, Minna, was unable to meet his obligation of paying his house rent which was put at N35,000 annually.

He committed the act after his wife and five children had left for Church for the morning mass, leaving only him at home by the time he took his life.

It was further learnt that he committed suicide following the expiration of the date he gave his landlord to pay his house rent.

A colleague of the deceased at Mechanic Bye Pass, Minna, said Obi’s landlord, simply identified as Alhaji Lateef, had constantly traced him to his workshop at the Mechanic bye-pass in Minna, threatening to forcefully evict him out of the house if he failed to pay his rent at the appointed date.

It was learnt that when the date expired and the deceased could not meet the obligation, he decided to take his life instead of facing the embarrassment and humiliation from his landlord.

The body of the deceased was deposited in the mortuary of Minna General Hospital, where an attendant there confirmed that a body of a man that committed suicide was brought in.

Further inquiries could not be made from the hospital management as no personnel was available due to the ongoing strike by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA).