A 49-year-old guard with Ekiti State Scholarship Board, Abolarin Olaoye, hanged himself inside the State Secretariat in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.
The dangling body of the father of five and native of Igogo Ekiti in Moba Local Government area of the state was discovered on Wednesday morning when workers at the state secretariat resumed work.
Workers at the various ministries, departments and agencies gathered in groups to discuss the incidence as the lifeless body of the guard, who was also a commercial bike operator and farmer, remained dangling from the railing of the first floor of the building for hours.
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Men of the police and Department of Security Services visited the scene. However, it took some time for the law enforcement agencies to bring down the body as they spoke of the need for family members of the deceased to witness the activity.
Sister-in-law to the deceased, Mrs. Elizabeth Babalola, said the man came to her around 4:30pm on Tuesday, complaining that he was tired of his financial situation.
Babalola said: “He came to me around 4:30pm on Tuesday and started lamenting that his house rent was due and that he was finding it difficult to renew his tenancy due to irregular salary. He said he was also indebted to the government through the housing and car loans he obtained.
“He also complained about his inability to meet other financial commitments to his wife’s family. He told me he could go ahead and do some nasty things. He added that he was tired of life.
“I did not realize he meant something like this. I tried to persuade him not to resort to anything nasty. I told him life is full of ups and downs and that he should just endure, but I never knew he would end this way,” the woman said.
Executive Secretary of the State Scholarship Board, Mr Ayo Ajimat, who confirmed that the deceased was a staff of the board before his demise, described him as “a very prayerful, jovial and amiable person”.
Ajimat said: “I don’t understand what led to this. I didn’t know the kind of problem he had that could have led to this,” he said.
