After months of respite in what was beginning to look like a growing incidence of suicide in the state, a man, identified as Oluseyi Adekunle, around 10 a.m., yesterday, jumped into the Lagos Lagoon by the Ikoyi-Lekki Link Bridge.
The footage, which was captured through CCTV, showed him suddenly removing his clothes and shoes, checking to see if no one was around him before jumping into the lagoon.The General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Mr. Adesina Tiamiyu, said the agency received the distress call from the Lekki Concession Company (LCC) officials regarding the incident.
He said the agency immediately activated its emergency response, with other stakeholders, including the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Marine Police, Lagos State Ambulance Services and the Nigerian Police from Maroko Division.
“Although the body is still missing, efforts are ongoing to recover it by men of the Marine Police and the Lagos State Waterways Authority. They are combing through the waters to recover the body.
“It will be inappropriate to release the identity of the man, but his family has been contacted, as he left his personal belongings and clothes at the spot before jumping into the lagoon, with which the agency said it was able trace his family, while all items found on him were also handed over to the Nigerian Police from Maroko Division for further investigation,” he said.
At press time, his body was yet to be retrieved from the water despite combined efforts and intensive search. It was gathered that he was not commuting in a boat at the time of the incident, as he jumped from the top of the link bridge into the lagoon.
The Police also confirmed that his family members had been contacted.The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olarinde Famous-Cole, while confirming the incident, said efforts were ongoing to recover the body.
He said a report on the suicide was reported at Maroko Division about 10:15am and Police operatives quickly rushed to the scene and alerted the rescue unit.“During a search of the area, his mobile phone was retrieved from the scene. The man is about 40 years of age named Adekunle John from Ondo State.
“Rescue operations by the Police and other bodies is still ongoing,” he added.In March, a medical doctor, Allwell Orji, jumped into the lagoon and died.A 51-year-old textile dealer at Balogun Market, Titilayo Momoh, also attempted to jump into the lagoon on the Third Mainland Bridge.
She was reported to have been having sleepless nights since she was allegedly duped of N18.7 million by a Bureau-de-Change operator sometime in 2015.She was later arraigned before an Ebute-Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court on a charge of attempting to commit suicide, to which she pleaded not guilty.
The Chief Magistrate, Mr. A.T. Elias, admitted the accused to a bail of N500,000 with two responsible sureties in like sum. He also directed that the woman be taken to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation and adjourned the case until June 1 for the mention.
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