A woman has committed suicide after dropping three of her children at a police facility in Enugu State, south-east Nigeria.
The incident, PREMIUM TIMES gathered, happened on Saturday.
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How it happened
The yet-to-be-identified woman was said to have walked into Ogui Police Divisional Headquarters in the Enugu North Local Government Area of the state and dropped the children without speaking to anyone.
She subsequently stripped herself, came out of the police facility and ran into a moving vehicle which killed her instantly.
The three children were said to be aged six, four, and two.
Some police operatives and shop owners around the area attributed the woman’s action to frustration over the increasing economic hardship and rising cost of living in Nigeria.
There was a speculation that the woman’s husband ran away from their home a few months ago over the increasing hardship. PREMIUM TIMES could not, however, independently verify the speculation.
One of the witnesses said when the eldest of the children was asked about their father, she simply said, “Our father got lost.”
Daniel Ndukwe, police spokesperson in Enugu State, did not respond to calls and a WhatsApp message seeking his comments as of the time of filing this report.
But an aide to the Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State who asked not to be named, confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday afternoon.
He said the woman must have been pushed by the worsening economic hardship.
Enugu governor’s wife to the rescue
Meanwhile, Nkechinyere Mbah, wife of the Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, visited the police facility on learning of the incident.
Mrs Mbah, while at the facility, announced the award of scholarship to the children and indicated interest to care for them.
The first lady was seen attending to the three children at the police facility in a video clip and photographs forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES by her media team on Thursday.
She said the scholarship would be undertaken through her foundation, Custos Care Foundation.
“The foundation will give them free scholarships up to university (level),” she said in the clip.
The first lady urged people who are depressed to seek help and go for counselling to avoid taking severe decisions.
She asked the Commissioner for Ministry of Children, Gender and Social Development, Ngozi Enih, to intensify sensitisation and counselling of people, particularly depressed individuals in the state, to help them overcome the situation.
