Man Hangs Self On Tree, Traditionalists Perform Cleansing Rites

A yet-to-be-identified man has committed suicide by hanging himself on a tree at the NEPA Junction in Agboroko community, in the Iba Local Council Development Area of Lagos State.

It was gathered that the corpse of the man was found dangling on a rope tied to a tree by one of the workers at a mechanic shop close to the scene of the incident when he resumed work on the morning of April 20, 2023.

According to PUNCH, one of the mechanics at the workshop, Olasumbo Adewale, said the deceased, who was dressed in a black T-shirt and a white short knicker, reportedly committed the act with the use of a seat found around a vulcaniser in the area.

He said, “When I resumed work that morning, I saw that people had gathered at a spot close to our workshop. Out of curiosity, I moved close to the place and I was shocked when I saw that a young man had been hanged on a tree close to a vulcaniser workshop.

“I quickly called the vulcaniser to inform him about the situation and he rushed down to the scene. It was when he arrived that he went to the Iba Police Station to report the case. What we also discovered was that the man might have used the seat under the tree to support himself when he committed the act because we found the seat below his feet.”

A resident, Jamiu Awosoji, said efforts to unravel the identity and family members of the deceased victim proved abortive.

“The place was crowded as people kept coming to look at the corpse. But despite the number of people who gathered to look at the corpse, no one could identify the victim. So, we felt he must have come from a far distance to commit suicide in this area. The police came around after the case was reported to them,” Awosoji said.

PUNCH reported that another resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said some traditionalists in the community performed traditional rites before bringing down the corpse from the tree.

The resident said, “When the traditionalists in the community were informed about what happened, they came around, and performed some rituals around the location where the incident happened.

“After the traditional rites, they brought down the corpse, placed it on the floor, covered it with some leaves and left. The corpse spent the whole day there. It was the following morning that we discovered that the corpse was no longer there. The vulcanizer who uses the place for business has been refused to do his business at the scene of the incident.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the incident said, “it happened in Agboroko under Iba.”