264 Nigerians Committed Suicide In Four Years

Nigeria and other countries across the world are marking this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day.

The theme of this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day is ‘Working Together to Prevent Suicide”.

However, a data released by Daily Trust revealed that no fewer than 264 suicide cases were recorded in Nigeria within the last four years.

According to newspaper reports reviewed, the victims comprising males and females took their own lives between January 2017, and August this year.

This figure excluded numerous suicide cases that have not been reported by the media.

Meanwhile, suicide remains a criminal offence in Nigeria.

Under Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act, attempting to kill self carries a penalty of up to one year in prison.

“Any person who attempts to kill himself is guilty of a misdemeanour and is liable to imprisonment for one year,” the section said.

Experts revealed some of the reasons for the reported suicides range from financial hardship, marital issues, depression and job losses among others.

Analysis by the Daily Trust for the time under review showed that Lagos State (South-West) topped the tally with a total of 23 suicide cases.It showed that within the first and second quarters of last year alone, no fewer than 42 Nigerians among them 11 students committed suicide by consuming the deadly insecticide called sniper while others either drank acid or set themselves ablaze.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that close to 800, 000 people die due to suicide every year.

This means at least one person kill self every 40 seconds.

The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) said suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year olds globally.

It has also been estimated that every year, about 30,000 people die by suicide in the U.S., while 650,000 others receive emergency treatment after a suicide attempt

According to WHO Suicide Ranking, with 17.1 suicides per 100,000 populations in a year, Nigeria ranked the 30th most suicide-prone out of 183 nations.

Suicide is a global phenomenon with 78 percent of cases occurring in low- and middle-income countries as at 2015 while 1.4 percent of global deaths in 2017 were said to be from the phenomenon.

Nigeria is also ranked 10th African country with higher rates of suicide, leading countries like Togo (26th), Sierra Leone (11th), Angola (19th), Burkina Faso (22nd), with Equatorial Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire occupying 7th and 5th positions respectively.