- As Buhari tells African leaders: Let’s speak with one voice
A director in the Kogi State civil service, Edward Soje, has allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself on a tree in Lokoja, the state capital .
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered on Saturday in Lokoja that the dangling body of Mr. Soje was found on a tree behind the mammy market at the Maigumeri barracks, the Nigeria Army Command Record.
The 54-year-old civil servant is believed to have taken his life barely 10 days after his wife of 17 years gave birth to a set of male triplets in a private hospital in Abuja. The couple had been childless before then.
Mr. Soje, a Grade Level 16 Officer in the Kogi State Teaching Service Commission, was being owed 11 months’ salary arrears as at the time he took his life.
He hailed from Ogori town in Ogori -Magongo Local Government area of the state.
He had before killing himself travelled to Abuja and left a suicide note for the wife who also works in one of the federal ministries.
“Psalm 121:3 God will not suffer your foot to be moved: He that keepeth you will not slumber. Amen. You and the three boys, the God Almighty will keep you and prosper you, amen. I love you,” according to the suicide note.
Confirming the incident, the state police command Public Relations Officer, William Aya, said the dangling body of Mr. Soje was found on a tree behind the barracks at about 5:55 p.m on Oct. 16.
Mr. Aya said the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Area D Division received information about the incident from the military intelligence office in the barracks.
“Police moved to the scene, removed the corpse to the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja.
Investigation is still ongoing,” Mr. Aya said.
In the meantime, President Muhammadu Buhari has urged African leaders to speak “with one voice” independent of foreign influence.
He said this was necessary to achieve economic integration, development, peace, and security on the continent.
According to a statement on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President spoke at a bilateral meeting with President Alpha Conde of Guinea on Friday night in Istanbul, Turkey.
“President Buhari said leaders should learn from history to effectively tackle conflicts, violent extremism, and proliferation of small arms and light weapons” the statement read.
The two Presidents, who met on the margins of the ninth D8 Summit in Istanbul, exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Buhari assured his Guinean counterpart, who is also the current Chairman of AU that Nigeria would continue to strengthen its engagement with all AU member states to address current security challenges in restive areas such as South Sudan and Libya, and the political crisis in Togo.
In his remarks, Conde praised Nigeria’s leadership on the continent, particularly President Buhari’s great job on anti-corruption and his strong voice on African issues at the international stage.
The Guinean leader stressed the need for Guinea and Nigeria to accelerate economic cooperation, particularly in the natural resources sector, where Guinea boasts of 25 percent or more of the world’s known bauxite reserves.
Premium with additional report from Punch
