Man Commits Suicide in Court over N40,000 Debt

Segun Atanda/

After spending six months in prison during his trial over a debt of N40,000, a man committed suicide in the court premises, on Wednesday.

The accused, Wasiu Alowonle, was standing trial for theft at an Ogba Magistrates Court in Lagos, presided over by Magistrate O.A. Raji (Mrs).

An eyewitness tweeted about the incident.

Tweeting with the handle @O_Nife, the eyewitness said at the end of hearing in the matter on Wednesday, the accused leaped to his death by jumping from the third floor of the court house, while being led out by prison officials.

The tweet reads: “This man jumped from the 3rd floor of the Lagos State Magistrate Court in Ogba. He owed 40k. Been in prison on remand for the past 6 months. After his case today, he took the leap to his death.

“The law should have a human face. This is very sad.”

The tweet further reads: “Our problem is this country is simple. We lack empathy for each other. I hope the owner of the 40k is happy now. I hope the IPO that chose to charge the matter to court is happy now, I hope the magistrate is happy now.

“Last but not the least, I hope the court officials and wardens that stood by and watched this man grapple with death for over 5 minutes without trying to help him, I hope y’all are happy now.”