72-year-old Retired Soldier Commits Suicide Over Hardship in Benue
A 72-year-old retired soldier identified as Francis Dooga,
has allegedly committed suicide in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
The deceased allegedly hanged himself on a tree in his
residence opposite St. Joseph Catholic Church in Iniongun, a suburb of Makurdi
at about 6:00pm on Sunday, January 28, 2024.
A neighbour, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Dooga
popularly known as ‘old soldier’, took the drastic action while members of his
family were away from home. Some residents of the area alleged that the late
retiree had earlier complained of hardship.
It was also gathered that the deceased had complained that
one of his children was always withdrawing his pension on arrival. He further
complained about not getting his pension in bulk from the pension board.
“Before committing suicide, the man was always complaining
of his Security Debartment Allowance (SDA) which was released by the Federal
Government to the Defence Headquarters, which was in turn released to the
military pension board,” a resident said.
"He said the pension was being released to them
meagerly instead of in bulk monthly like their junior ones, resulting to abject
poverty and abandonment by his family members."
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