Suicide: How neighbours saved woman from killing self in Anambra

A 27-year-old woman, named Praise, almost committed suicide on Tuesday, but for the intervention of her neighbours in Awka, the Anambra State capital.

The woman had planned to kill herself and her two-year-old son due to her abusive marriage.

One of the residents told newsmen that , “Praise had in April told some of us that she was in an abusive marriage and had thrice returned to her parents, who sent her back with the mandate to make the marriage work.

“On Monday, she dropped a suicide note stating why she wanted to terminate her life. But we thank God that somebody saw the note and mounted a surveillance on her. That saved the situation.”

The alleged suicide note read in part, “We live in a society where no one cares. You live in an abusive marriage, no one cares – the society, friends and relatives.

“They tell you to pray and endure while the assault is on the increase. You pack home and they tell you to go back and make your family work.

“Verbal abuse increases; you are called a bad wife, a bastard, you smell awful, you feel you made a 2.1 in school, come and get money for clearance.

“When family fails you because you are married, you damn the consequences, take a life and serve the jail term.

“Soon I will die and I will take my little man along. I won’t leave him to suffer verbal abuse; we will go to a place where there is peace unlimited.

“When I die, don’t write an epistle (sic) for me. When I die, I should be buried in my father’s house to avoid havoc. When I die, don’t cry, because all is well in life and death.”

A source stated, “She moved out of her residence to the Okpuno area on the outskirts of Awka, triggering the fear that she might have gone away to harm herself.

“We had to trail her to Okpuno, got her and took her to a primary health centre, where she is receiving treatment.”

A woman, who gave her name simply as Cynthia, said, “Two female volunteers have been nominated to keep an eye on her.

“Some people have promised to help rehabilitate her. We don’t want to make the matter a police case for now for some reasons best known to us.”