A man in his mid-30s, popularly identified as Baale or Radical, has reportedly committed suicide after he was issued a notice to quit his apartment for not being able to pay his annual rent of N35,000 increased to N60,000.
we understand that Baale, who lived in a room apartment on Moshalashi Road, Egan, in the Igando area of Lagos State, died on Sunday night after drinking a poisonous substance suspected to be an insecticide.
Speaking with our correspondent on Monday, a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter said the deceased had reportedly told his wife that she would soon cry because of his inability to pay for their house rent.
“He had had an altercation with his wife after his landlord issued a quit notice to him for not meeting up with the increased rent of N60,000 for their one-room apartment.
“The rent was initially N35,000, and he struggled to pay it. This made him tell his wife that he might lose him soon as pressure was mounting up for him already.
“He came home from Iba yesterday (Sunday) where he went to chill with his friends only for him to call a young man (name withheld) that he would commit suicide with the bottle of insecticide he was holding. The young man immediately ran to his wife after luring him to stop, and they all called for help.
“Before they could return to where he was, he had already taken the substance and was given antidotes to make sure that he was stable and taken to a hospital for proper treatment. “They got a bus and when they got to the hospital at 11 pm, he was confirmed dead,” he added.
The deceased was survived by his four children and wife.
Meanwhile, the wife declined to speak with our correspondent when she was called on Monday for a reaction.
However, when contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said he had not received a report of that from the area’s Divisional Police Officer and said that he would brief our correspondent when he received the report.
“I will get back to you when I get the report. But I have yet to get anything from the area’s DPO,” he said.
PUNCH Metro