A mobile money vendor has allegedly taken his own life following the discovery of a significant sum of money missing from the business.
The 22-year-old who has been identified as Abdul Rahman Acquah is said to have committed suicide after he found out that GHC 3,500 of the money he was using to run the business has gone missing.
This tragic incident happened at Assin Kruwa in the Assin South district. Reports indicate that the deceased went missing on Tuesday, June 8, at about 03:00 pm and was never found.
Kwaku Quansah, uncle to the deceased, in an interview, said a thorough search was conducted within the community and district but was to no avail.
He further said all efforts to reach and find him proved futile until officers of Kakum wildlife division intervened.
A search party was therefore conducted to trace the whereabouts of the deceased. Through the search party he was found dead in a thick forest near the community. He was reported to have hanged himself on a tree with a copper wiring cable in the bush.
The Police, upon the tip-off, rushed to the scene, and the body was then moved to the Abura Dunkwa Hospital morgue for autopsy and preservation.
However, reports by the hospital revealed that there were no signs of body violence.
Quansah disclosed that the boss of the deceased was demanding for the missing money or he would get him arrested hence, suggested his death might be out of frustration.
A man believed to be in his 30s has tragically lost his life in a suspected suicide incident in Ahafo Mim, located in the Asunafo North Municipal District of the Ahafo Region.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, May 23, 2023, around 9 am.
The deceased, identified as Kwame Peter, had left his shop but did not return to close it as the evening approached.
Concerned residents decided to check on him and went to his house, where they made a distressing discovery. It was found that he had taken his own life by hanging himself in his room.
“Yesterday in the morning, my son went to the shop, at about 4pm he informed some boys who were with him that he was coming home to pick up something. They waited for him till it started to get dark but he was not returning to close the shop. They kept calling his phone but he was not picking up. They followed up to his house and heard the phone ringing in his room.
“So they called a carpenter to break into the room and when they entered, he had placed a chair on the bed and hanged himself from the ceiling fan,” a sister of the deceased’s mother told ‘Welcome to Ahafo’ in an interview.
Relatives of the deceased who is a professional shoemaker said they are yet to identify the motive behind his death but suspect he committed suicide out of being jilted by his wife.
The police have since commenced investigation into the case after retrieving the body.
A resident of Mpasaso in the Ahafo Region, identified as Akwasi Brefo, allegedly committed a heinous act by taking the life of his wife, Janet Yobo. D
Subsequently, he attempted suicide but was unsuccessful.
The incident reportedly occurred on May 22, 2023, while the couple was engaged in farm work, as documented in a police report referenced by the newspaper.
According to a report from the DailyGuide newspaper, the accused fatally struck his wife on the head with a farming tool while they were working on their farm, resulting in her tragic demise.
Fearing the consequences of his actions, the report states that Brefo consumed a liquid substance, suspected to be weedicide, in an effort to take his own life.
“On 22/05/2023 about 1100hrs it was reported that Janet Yobo, now deceased, went to the farm with her husband, suspect Akwasi Brefo to work but she was later killed in the farm by her said husband in the Mpasaso forest.
“Police proceeded to the scene of crime about 5km from Mpasaso town where the lifeless body of deceased Janet Yobo was found lying on her left side in a pool of blood, wearing a cream shirt over a white trouser with green cloth across her chest.
“Examination on the body revealed a deep cut at the back of her head,” parts of the report is quoted by DailyGuide.
The report also indicated that the victim was taken to the Mpasaso Health Center by the police, where she was confirmed dead.
The mortal remains of the victim has been taken to the Plus Lab Mortuary, Mankranso, for preservation and autopsy.
It added that the accused person is at the Mankranso Government Hospital receiving treatment after his failed suicide attempt.
A young rotational nurse has been found dead by hanging in an uncompleted building at Asankragua in the Asante Akim South Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
Paul Dodzi was posted to the Church of God Hospital at Esieninpong in the Ejisu Municipality where he was offering his national service.
Colleagues in the hospital began making inquiries of him when they realized he had not turned up at work the whole day only to receive news later on Thursday, May 11, 2023, that he had allegedly hanged himself.
Some information gathered by Ultimate News’ Ivan Heathcote–Fumador indicates that the Youngman in his early twenties had lately been complaining of his service allowances which he claimed had been unpaid for some months.
A close colleague indicated that the situation had compounded his (the deceased) economic woes and rendered him unable to cater to his responsibilities.
Ultimate News gathers that rotational nurses are owed by government to as much as ten months in arrears.
A 14-year-old female Junior High School (JHS) pupil attempted to take her life after what has been described as ‘constant bullying’ by a teacher from her school.
The attempted suicide occurred Thursday, April 20, 2023, at Anweabeng, in the Abuakwa North Constituency in the Eastern Region.
The victim, a Form Two pupil of Anweabeng Municipal Assembly (M/A) JHS, who doubles as the Girl’s Prefect, survived the incident after a swift intervention by her aunt.
Angelonline.com.gh understands that the victim, [name withheld], tried to end her life during class hours after she could no longer bear the constant accusation and torment she had come under.
According to sources, the said teacher had been accusing the victim and three of her juniors at the primary level of spreading false rumours about her.
Accusation
The female teacher and two colleagues were said to have recently been on the neck of the pupils for supposedly making some unpleasant comments against them after last term’s Basic School Sports festival held at Samlesi Salvation Army school, a suburb of Yilo Krobo.
Back from the sports festival, the teachers [Class 1, 2, and 3] claimed the students had speculated in the Anweabeng community that they were ‘drunk and misbehaved’ while the games were ongoing.
However, the four accused students denied knowledge of the accusations against them.
Meanwhile, reports had it that the teachers repeatedly called out the four pupils during class hours, paraded them, and intimidated them to speak the ‘truth’.
Attempted Suicide
The Girls’ prefect was reportedly singled out by the class three teacher, identified as Madam Dodzie Abigail and was at the receiving end of her bullying.
The 14-year-old decided to end her life when things became too unbearable.
This was after she was allegedly pulled out of class – a regular feature by Madam Dodzie—just to punish the pupil.
Giving an account of what happened, an eyewitness said the pupil, after being sacked from class, ran to their residence – a teachers’ bungalow, which is just a stone-throw from the school.
She subsequently untied a rope on the neck of a goat belonging to her grandmother to hang herself on a nearby tree.
But Ms. Ruth, a food vendor at the school’s canteen, upon arriving at the scene, managed to rescue the girl.
“Immediately, we saw her [the victim] speeding up towards the direction of the house.
“So a teacher who was seated under one of the trees on the school campus called her grandmother and asked if she had sent the victim on errands, but she responded in the negative.”
It was at this juncture that Ms. Ruth started calling the victim’s name, but to no avail.
She said she suddenly heard the cry of her niece and rushed there, only to see her hanging on a loose rope on the tree.
The account added quickly: the pupil said “I want to kill myself for Madam Abigail so that she will get what she wants because I don’t know my offence to merit all that she’s making me go through,” the pupil said as narrated by the eyewitness.
The victim’s father subsequently withdrew his daughter from the school—a registered candidate for the 2023 BECE and drove off.
The Akim New Tafo Police Command is currently handling the case following a report filed by the victim’s father on Thursday, April 20.
Meanwhile, the police, in their quest to pick up the teacher at the center of the case for interrogation on Friday, April 21, yielded no results as the headmaster promised to hand her over on Tuesday, April 25.
However, at the time of filing this report, our checks indicated that there was no turnout at the police station on the said day.
Mr. Asamoah Isaac, the headmaster of both the Primary and JHS levels, declined to speak on the matter when contacted by our reporter, Opambour Jaman Dehyee.
He directed the journalist to channel his questions to the Abuakwa North Education Directorate since they are best positioned to comment further on the incident.
The Public Relation Officer (PRO) of the Abuakwa North Education Directorate, Sampson Akoto Kwafo, said on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, that their office had been informed of the matter.
“We were informed yesterday about it; the headteacher and those involved were contacted. They came to the office, and we realized the issue had been reported.
“Father of the girl has reported the matter at the Tafo Police Station, so the matter is in the hands of Inspector Obeng currently,” Angelonline.com.gh reported.
The PRO added: “I can’t say on record that it is a true story, but if you want any better particulars or information, Inspector Obeng can be in the best position to do that.”
About 70% of suicides recorded in the country are committed by men, a community psychiatry nurse at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has disclosed.
The total number of people in the country who take their lives annually is 1,500, according to Francis Yeboah.
As a result, healthcare experts are stressing a worrying trend stemming from depression.
The healthcare practitioner was speaking on Joy Prime on Wednesday, April 12, 2023.
“I think men are twice the number of females that commit suicide every year,” he said on Prime Morning.
He blamed this development on the Ghanaian societal demands on men and the lack of emotional support.
Mr Yeboah explained that many communities “assume men are supposed to behave in a certain way in our lives… you know in the journey of life a lot of things come together and emotion is no respecter of gender.”
“So when a man is facing a crisis, it’s assumed by the community that you don’t need to cry, you need to be hard on yourself, so when he’s trying to exhibit his emotions, you hear other men questioning his manhood”.
“Some of these things make men suppress their emotions and we don’t create an outlet for these emotions to exit which creates a built-up tension in the man leading to suicidal thoughts,” he disclosed.
Speaking on the same show, a psychiatrist at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Abigail Harding says among the numerous reasons people commit suicide, divorce and relationship issues are the leading causes.
“Divorce and break up are some of the top reasons why we get a lot of people thinking of carrying out suicide”.
“There is a lot of emotional investment that goes into relationships and some would even say financial investment that goes into it, when you look at the different factors, someone attached so closely to someone possibly for many years, they’ve invested so much of their lives into them”.
“It can a toll on their mental well-being and that makes them more likely to have these thoughts and when you combine it with the mental vulnerability they may have, because about 95 percent of people who commit suicide have a mental health condition so when you compound it, it makes it more likely that they will carry out suicide,” she explained.
Parliament has amended sections of the Criminal Offenses Act of 1960, which makes attempting to take one’s own life a crime.
Following the amendment in Parliament on March 28, persons who attempt suicide will be considered as having mental health issues requiring assistance by law rather than imprisonment.
In Saki, in the Nmlitsakpo Electoral area of the Kpone-Katamanso municipality of the Greater Accra Region, a middle-aged man who’s name is still unknown, was electrocuted after scaling the Gridco/VRA pylons.
The Ghana News Agency (GNA) on arriving at the scene, noticed some residents gathered at the place to catch a glimpse of what might have warranted such an incident.
The deceased is also unknown in the community making it difficult for the police to trace and find his identity or relatives.
The GNA observed that the victim rode on a bicycle to the place and committed the act.
Residents and passersby remained in shock trying to figure out what might trigger the man to end his life in such a manner.
A joint police team from the Tema Regional Command and the Tema Community 25 Unit of the Ghana Police Service conveyed the lifeless body to the hospital for autopsy and preservation.
Meanwhile, the Police have commenced an investigation and called on the public with any information to contact the Tema Regional Command, a police source told the GNA.
Head of Psychology Department at the University of Ghana, Professor Joseph Osafo has offered education to Ghanaians on how to handle persons who attempt to commit suicide.
Noting that suicide is a mental health disorder, Professor Osafo urged Ghanaians to adopt a calm approach and treat any person attempting to take his or her life with love, referring him or her to a Psychologist.
Making his submissions on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” show, the Senior Psychologist urged any person who finds someone trying to take his or her life or exhibiting signs of committing suicide to also report immediately to the Police.
He advised; “If you see that someone wants to take his or her own life, it is a medical emergency . . . you can call a Police officer. There’s nothing wrong with that as the officer can offer help.”
He cautioned against abuse of such persons stressing, “when you find someone who wants to commit suicide, don’t beat the person. If there’s nothing you can do to help, you can call the Police”.
He also admonished the Police to be professional in handling persons with suicidal tendencies.
Attempted suicide has been decriminalised in the country after Parliament amended sections of the Criminal Offenses Act of 1960, which makes attempting to take one’s own life a crime.
Following the amendment in Parliament on Tuesday, March 28, persons who attempt suicide will be considered as having mental health issues requiring assistance by law rather than imprisonment.
Some legislators had earlier kicked against calls to decriminalise attempted suicide.
In 2019 during a conversation in Parliament on whether to decriminalise the act or not, former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu said that attempt to commit suicide should be considered a crime and not be pardoned.
The Tamale South MP stated that calls to decriminalise the act should not be heeded and said suicide is unacceptable behaviour.
He added that the culprits of the act should be punished to deter others, especially the youth from engaging in the act.
“You do not want to think that when you have depression and distress, the ultimate thing is that you go and take your life since you cannot recover your life back,” he stated.
However, the Mental Health Authority CEO, Prof Akwesi Osei during the launch of a call centre in Accra, disclosed that it has initiated steps to have suicide decriminalised, saying it is a medical condition that needs health support rather than imprisonment.
This follows the “unprecedented wave” of suicide and attempted suicide cases, especially among the youth in 2017.
Prof Osei noted that even the choice of words used to describe suicide-related cases is worrying and stated that an attempted suicide should not be criminalised.
“I am trying harder not to say ‘people who wanted to commit suicide’ – it’s a language we want to move away from. So, don’t say ‘somebody who committed suicide’ because that criminalises the offence.
“We are trying to get us to understand that attempted suicide is not a crime, even though we don’t encourage it. It is [rather] a condition that requires support, largely mental illness.
“So, in all our discourses, let’s move away from ‘committed suicide’ to say ‘take his/her life by suicide’ or ‘die by suicide’,” he said.
To this end, Ghanaian health experts have since pushed for the law to be changed, saying attempted suicide is a medical condition that needs health support rather than imprisonment.
Some survivors of attempted suicide had also called for resources to be spent on prevention.
Meanwhile, 1,500 cases of suicide are reported nationwide every year.
Olalere Michael, a 40-year-old mobile police sergeant has shot himself in the head in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara state after murdered his sweetheart Bamidele Cecilia Oluwatosin and then
The incident took place on March 2, 2023, on the grounds of the Redemption Model Nursery and Primary School, Agba Dam, Ilorin, which is housed inside the Chapel of Redemption UMCA.
The late officer is survived by his wife and two daughters.
The mother of Desmond, a student at the school who will be celebrating his third birthday on May 12, 2023, was said to be the late Tosin, who worked as a maid at the Banquet Hall across from the Government House, according to Daily Trust.
It was gathered that some parents refused to allow their children attend school on Friday because of the incident which caused panic around the area.
According to residents and shop owners around the school who spoke to the publication, the deceased mobile police officer trailed his lover to the school premises and waited for her to come pick up her child before opening fire on her at close range.
Some of them were astonished as to why “A young and promising guy like this would kill himself because of a side chic, without considering what his beautiful family will face.”
“The officer was dressed in a camouflage police uniform. He entered the school premises at about a few minutes before 8am in his Toyota Corolla car earlier than his female friend who had brought her son to the school later.
“Immediately she walked him, he brought out his AK-47 rifle and shot Oluwatosin on the chest three times at close range and she died on the spot.
“He thereafter shot himself on the throat which blew off some part of his head and the two of them were there in a pool of blood before the police came to evacuate their bodies about one hour later. It was really a gory scene”, a resident, Olaleye Arodeyo, told Daily Trust.
It was further gathered that the late officer with force number F/NO 497093 was attached to one of the aides of the Kwara State Governor but recently left the position. It was while serving at the Government House that he met Oluwatosin.
Residents who spoke on the issue said they have been dating for a while but trouble started when the late Oluwatosin said she was no longer interested in the relationship.
“What we understand is that Oluwatosin had a fiancé abroad whom she had a son for, and who was preparing to come to Nigeria having left for Dublin about a year ago.
“Because of that, she wanted to end the affair which triggered their frosty relationship and their fatal end,” one of the residents, Mrs Hannah, said.
Unconfirmed reports said Olalere had told some of his colleagues on the day of the incident that he was going to kill somebody and also kill himself.
“But many of them didn’t believe him because he was doing very well as a police officer. He had two houses, one in Iloffa and Omu-Aran, Oke-Ero and Irepodun local government areas of the state. Here in Ilorin, he was staying in the Barrack and had a very beautiful wife and two daughters,” a police source told the publication.
It was further gathered that the late Olalere had tried severally to convince Oluwatosin to rescind her decision to end the relationship but to no avail.
Residents said he had visited the family house of the deceased female friend a few days before where he allegedly made away with some electronics and other items he was said to have bought for her.
“This was at the height of his frustration over the situation. But Olalere was very much in love with her and I believe that was why he killed her and shot himself,” Mr Bello, another resident of the area, said. A female provision seller in the area who simple identified herself as Mrs Benedicta said;
“Most times, when the man (Olalere) is around, they used to come to my shop to buy things. I never knew he was a police officer because he doesn’t wear his uniform and seldom comes down from the car.
“But from their disposition, you could see that he truly loves her. This is very sad. Oluwatosin should be in her 30s and a very beautiful woman. It was after the incident we learnt that she had a fiancé abroad who was coming to Nigeria,” she added.
According to the spokesman of the police command, Ajayi Okasanmi, their corpses have been deposited at the morgue of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH).
“What we can establish now is that the two of them were lovers but at a point, they had a misunderstanding which led to the mobile police officer trailing her to the school, shot her and also killed himself in the process. It has nothing to do with police brutality.
“But the Commissioner of Police, Paul Odama, has ordered investigation of this unfortunate incident. No arrest has been made yet. But I can assure you that the report of the investigation will be made public as soon as it is ready,” Okasanmi added.
On September 9, 1958, a thief who was being held on remand attemptedsuicideafter losing his beard.
According to the Daily Graphic edition of that year’s newspaper, Musah Hausah at the time told the Acting Senior Magistrate W. Lyle at an Accra court that he attempted to commit suicide because he was compelled to shave his beard as part of standard practice for prisoners.
He told the court that the beard, which he took about six years to grow, was an integral part of his life and to maintain his dignity as ‘Mohammedan’.
Musah Hausah who pleaded guilty to the charge begged the court to give him leniency. He was however sentenced to two months’ imprisonment, in addition to the 20 months’ imprisonment that he was already serving for stealing.
The prosecution led by Chief Inspector C.A Mortagbe told the court that on September 4, 1958 Musah snatched a knifefrom one of the inmates and cut his own abdomen with it.
Mortagbe told the court the knife was used in the basket section of the prisons.
Acting Senior Magistrate W. Lyle, on his part, advised Musah not to ever attempt suicide in his lifetime.
‘Only cowards commit suicide,’ the Magistrate said advising Musah Hausah.
The dead body of a young man has been discovered at the banks of the Densu River, near the Kasoa Tollbooth, in the Ga South Municipality.
Although the actual cause of the death is unknown, reports indicate that he committed suicide.
The young man is said to have hanged at the banks of the Densu River, near the Kasoa Tollbooth, in the Ga South Municipality – a situation that eventually led to his death.
Horticulturists along the river said the body of the man was seen hanging in one of the trees on Monday, December 19, when they arrived at work.
An identification card with the name Francis Rogbor and a mobile phone without a SIM card was found on him.
The body has been transported to the Police Hospital morgue.
A call placed with the phone by the Police was received by a family member of the deceased who confirmed that the deceased until his demise, was residing at Top Town, a suburb of Ngleshie Amanfrom.
Workers around said this was the second time such an incident has occurred in the area.
In a related development, an alleged notorious robber was mercilessly beaten and inflicted with serious machete wounds at Gomoa Ekwamkrom in the Gomoa Central District of the Central Region when he and his gang attempted to rob someone in the area.
The alleged robber popularly known as Sika Gari would have been lynched but for the timely intervention of the Agona West District Police officers who later sent him to the hospital.
His accomplices managed to escape.
Some community members said Sika Gari had been arrested many times in connection with armed robbery incidents in the area but was left on the hook each time.
Some of the residents who expressed their frustration with his nefarious activities, gave him severe beatings and cutlass wounds until the police came to his rescue.
According to a statement from the San José Police Department, Jonathan Kassi was arrested on December 15 and lodged at the Santa Clara County Main Jail for “extortion and attempted disorderly conduct – uploading a photograph or recording without consent.”
“Suspect Kassi sexually exploited children online utilizing the usernames ’emillysmith’ and ‘kassijonathan’ on various social media applications,” added the statement, which revealed that the warrant resulted from an investigation into West African financial sextortion by the San José Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
Kassi will make his first court appearance in Santa Clara County court on Monday to enter a plea, the New York Post reported.
Although police withheld the name of the victim because he was a minor, his mother, Pauline Stuart, confirmed to CNN that it was her son, Ryan Last.
The teenager was days away from turning 18 and weeks away from graduating from Ann Sobrato High School, according to the New York Post.
Stuart told CNN that authorities found her son was contacted online by someone pretending to be a girl, and that the conversation quickly turned intimate. The online perpetrator also sent Last a romantic picture of a young female and asked for one of him in return, CNN reported.
After Last shared an intimate photo of his own, the perpetrator demanded $5,000, threatening to make the photo public and send it to his family and friends, investigators said, via CNN.
Within hours, police said, a panicked Ryan tragically took his own life, CNN reported.
The victim’s mother spoke with ABC7 News in San Francisco about the arrest, saying that while it was welcome, it did not bring closure to her family.
“I’m very beyond grateful that it happened,” she said. “But deep down, I would rather have my son.”
The suspect’s arrest was announced on the same day the Justice Department issued a public safety alert on financial sextortion schemes over an “explosion in incidents of children and teens being coerced into sending explicit images online and extorted for money.”
“Over the past year, law enforcement has received over 7,000 reports related to the online financial sextortion of minors, resulting in at least 3,000 victims, primarily boys, and more than a dozen suicides,” it added.
“A large percentage of these sextortion schemes originate outside of the United States, and primarily in West African countries such as Nigeria and Ivory Coast. As many children enter winter break this holiday season, the FBI and our partners implore parents and caregivers to engage with their kids about financial sextortion schemes so we can prevent them in the first place.”
According to authorities, financial sextortion schemes take place online where young people feel most comfortable — using common social media sites, gaming sites, or video chat applications that feel familiar and safe. Online predators frequently use fake female accounts and pursue minor males, between 14 to 17 years old, but the FBI has interviewed victims as young as 10.
If young people are being exploited, the FBI urges them to report it. Contact your local FBI field office, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or report it online at tips.fbi.gov
A 37-year-old man, Rogbor Francis has hanged himself near the Kasoa tollbooth close to the Densu River.
The deceased entered a nearby forest, climbed one of the trees, and hanged himself with a rope. His hanging body was first spotted by some horticulturists in the area.
After police from the Weija Divisional Command arrived at the crime scene and searched the deceased, an identification retrieved from him had the name, Rogbor Francis.
Police further accessed a mobile phone found on him and recent called contacts led the police to establish contact with the family members of the deceased who have confirmed that, Francis was a resident of Top Town, a suburb of Ngleshie Amanfro in the Ga South Municipality.
The body has since been deposited at the morgue pending further investigations by the police.
A middle-aged man has committed suicide by hanging himself in a bush close to the Densu River on the Kasoa Toll Booth stretch.
Some eyewitnesses say they saw the incident yesterday with the man hanging on a tree.
The identity of the man is still unknown as police officers at the toll booth police station have began investigation into the death.
“I was heading to work around 5:30am when I saw the man hanging on the tree. I quickly called the police, and they came in immediately. He had his identity cards on him but the SIM card in his phone had been taken away”, an eyewitness told Citi News.
Some persons who sell along the stretch said this is not the first time someone has hung himself in the area.
“This is the second time something like this is happening here. I believe some people come here and commit this crime”, another eyewitness added.
A 300-level student of Business Administration at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Ebuka Joshua, has reportedly committed suicide after taking a sniper.
This was confirmed by Unizik Plus, a campus press outfit in the school via a Facebook post on Friday.
This was confirmed by Unizik Plus, a campus press outfit in the school via a Facebook post on Friday.
“300L, UNIZIK Student Of Business Administration Reportedly Dies After Poisoning Himself With Sniper. | #unizik_plus
“Stories have it that the deceased Ebuka Joshua, has been battling with depression from the beginning of this semester following his inability to cope with his studies.
“May his soul rest in peace!,” the post added.
Suicide among university students in Nigeriahas lately become a disturbing trend.
For Instance, SaharaReporters also reported that a young graduate identified as Ugwoke Jerry has committed suicide in Nsukka, Enugu State in October.
It was learnt that Jerry was found hanging on a tree by his colleagues inside a forest in the community, a discovery which caused tension among the students.
Before his death, the deceased had sent an emotional message to his mother on why he decided to commit suicide.
“You are the best mother ever, in this world. Am sorry for disappointing you. Please.” he said in the message to his mother. The reason for his action remained unknown.
“It’s so sad, this guy is my colleague. He was lucky to graduate and had also completed his National Youths Service Corps. Some people are still in school finding how to graduate but he was even fortunate,” a source lamented.
The school authorities and Jerry’s family could not yet be reached to comment on the incident.
Also, the Nigeria Police Force, Abia State command confirmed the death of Modestus Hyacinth Egbulefu, a 500-level student of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), who committed suicide in August.
A South Korean police officer who was under investigation for the deadly Halloween crush in Seoul was discovered dead at his home, presumably by suicide.
The 55-year-old, identified as Inspector Jeong, was a local police intelligence officer.
Jeong was a suspect in an investigation into the police response to the crush, which tragically killed 156 people, mostly teenagers, and injured another 196.
On Wednesday, he was suspended for allegedly covering up police failings.
Jeong is accused of ordering coworkers to delete an intelligence report written ahead of the Halloween event that warned of the possibility of a serious incident occurring.
Local media reports say a family member found the officer at 12:45 local time at his home in northern Seoul on Friday. Police are investigating the circumstances of his death.
Most of those killed in the crush on 29 October were celebrating Halloween in the nightlife district of Itaewon for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Some accounts say more than 100,000 had descended on the area that evening.
The first call to police from Itaewon came at 18:34 local time, several hours before the deadly crush took place in an alley off the main road.
Authorities said they had 137 officers on the ground at Itaewon that night. But they were outmatched by the many thousands that had flocked to the area.
The entire local police department and fire service are currently being investigated for their role in failing to prevent and respond to the deadly crush.
The victims’ parents and loved ones have pushed for accountability over Seoul police’s response and preparation ahead of the large event in the nightlife district of Itaewon.
“I felt sad at first. But now I’m angry. I’m here because this incident could have been prevented. Those people were close to my age,” said 22-year-old university student Kang Hee-joo.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, Thousands of people gathered in Seoul to protest the authorities’ response to the Halloween crush disaster in Itaewon
On 5 November, thousands of people took to the streets for vigil-protests near Seoul City Hall Plaza.
On stage, speakers took turns to rail against the government in speeches interspersed with mournful song performances and prayers recited by Buddhist monks.
“Although the government clearly has responsibility, it is looking for perpetrators from irrelevant organisations… the incident occurred because the government did not play its very basic role,” said one speaker.
“Step down, Yoon Suk-yeol’s government! Step down, Yoon Suk-yeol’s government!” the crowd chanted, waving their candles and placards.
Paul Blomfield, the Labour MP for Sheffield Central, is speaking to Sophy Ridge about assisted dying – after he lost his terminally ill father to suicide.
He says the act is “illegal”, and even “discussing their plans would make family members complicit – and of course some people have been prosecuted for that”.
In a moving interview, Mr Blomfield says he wants to see a “change in the law which gives people choice – which means that for people who have a terminal diagnosisof six months or less and know the end is certain, that they can choose the point at which they pass instead of, in many cases, having to live out a fairly miserable death”.
He then shares the story of his father, Harry, who took his own life.
“He was brought up in poverty, the war changed it for him because he became an RAF pilot and that opened up opportunities,” Mr Blomfield says.
“He had a very good life and he enjoyed it.
“He was a great father. I think he would want me to talk about his death because he always believed in giving people choice. In a sense, that should have given me an indication of what he might do after he was given a terminal diagnosis. I didn’t really factor it in.”
Mr Blomfield says Harry remained “positive” after his diagnosis of terminal lung cancer, and so the news of his death was a “shock”.
The MP says the diagnosis itself was a “shock for him, and it was for us”.
He adds he was “walking between meetings” in Westminster when he heard of his father’s death, and immediately travelled back to Sheffield.
The night before, he says: “We had a perfectly normal conversation.”
Mr Blomfield adds that a lot of the discussion on assisted dying should move to what the law “already does” to people – and the “misery it causes”.
He says this matter causes “deep harm” for people.
“If the law had been different… he could have talked to us, we’d have planned together, he’d have probably lived longer.
“I think he took the decision to go prematurely because he wanted to act while he still could.”
A clinical Psychologist at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Isaac Newman Arthur says suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in the world, especially among 15 to 29-year-olds, with the majority occurring in low and middle-income countries.
According to him, about 1,500 suicide cases are reported annually.
Dr. Arthur stated that death by suicide among men are dominant than in women, stressing that many men who go through depression and traumatizing situations do not try to seek help. He said several, rather choose to commit suicide to salvage the situation rather than opening up and seeking support.
Dr. Arthur who was speaking on the GTV Breakfast Show during the celebration of World Mental Health day encouraged people to be each other’s keepers.
He emphasized that among all professions in Ghana, health practitioners stand a higher risk of suicide due to overly stressed work and addictive behavior regarding clinical-related issues coupled with their personal problems.
In a statement, the agency said Africa is home to six of the 10 countries with the highest suicide rates globally.
The continent is said to have one psychiatrist for every 500,000 inhabitants – 100 times less than the WHO recommendation.
Around 11 people per 100,000 per year die by suicide in the African region, higher than the global average of nine per 100,000 people, the WHO says.
Mental health problems account for up to 11% of the risk factors associated with suicide, it continued.
The agency added that mental health workers are mostly located in urban areas on the continent.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said suicide was a major public health problem, although prevention is rarely a priority in national health programs.
Molly Russell’sfather says legislation to prevent minors from viewing hazardous content should be passed immediately.
An investigation concluded that social media posts “more than minimally” led to Molly’s suicide in 2017 after she committed a self-harming act while depressed.
The coroner ruled she saw images that “shouldn’t have been available” to her.
Ian Russell said: “It’s clear to me that the age of self-regulation on internet platforms must be ended for the sake and safety of our children.”
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The current government has said that they want the UK to be the safest place in the world to be online and yet we’re still here and we’re not regulating the platforms.
“I think it’s really important, firstly, that something that is illegal in the offline world must be illegal and we must be better protected when it’s found on the online world.
“And I think the hardest thing that the online safety bill is tackling is perhaps this contentthat’s described as ‘legal but harmful.”
IMAGE SOURCE, KIRSTY O’CONNOR / PA Image caption, Ian Russell has campaigned for a safer online world for children since his daughter’s death
Andrew Walker, the senior coroner for north London, said Molly, from Harrow, north London, appeared a healthy girl who was flourishing at school, having settled well into secondary school life and displayed an enthusiastic interest in the performing arts.
However, Molly had become depressed, something common in children of this age, the coroner said. The inquest was told her condition worsened into a depressive illness.
Mr Russell also described the impact the inquest has had on his family.
He said: “When the verdict came in, I think we were quite numb and we’re still processing it.
“It was exhausting for us as a family. It was two weeks in court, but five years since Molly died.
“It’s just extraordinary, overwhelming grief that I think probably is one of the strongest emotions that anyone can ever feel.
“So, the inquest itself couldn’t compete with those early days of huge grief and just struggling to get by a second sometimes.
The opportunity to render social media secure must not “slip away,” according to the coroner in the inquest into Molly Russell’s death, who also expressed worries about platforms.
At a previous hearing, Andrew Walker told North London Coroner’s Courtthat social media had brought risk to children into their homes and that the risk should be “kept away from children completely”.
Mr Walker outlined a range of concerns about platforms, which were: a lack of separation of children and adults on social media; age verification and the type of content available and recommended by algorithms to children; insufficient parental oversight for under-18s.
He told the court he would prepare a reportaimed at preventing future deaths after he delivers his conclusion in the inquest on Friday.
The scary global estimates (from the World Health Organization,) that “somebody dies by suicide every 40 seconds” makes it imperative for all, to support efforts at addressing this public health concern. The good news is, prevention is achievable through timely evidence-based intervention.
Ghana joined the globe to mark Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September on the theme “A renewed worldwide commitment to prevent suicides: Creating Hope through Action”.
The commemoration, and the declaration of September as Suicide Prevention month, aim to create awareness about suicide, its risk factors and the proactive ways to reduce the incidence, stigma around it, and to provide support.
Ghana’s situation demands an all hands on deck approach, beyond advocacy by a few NGO’s. Our laws and Mental Health system must be responsive and equipped to fight the issue because our stress levels in this country are high.
Suicide among young people
Experts say, suicide is one of the leading causes of death in children, adolescents, and young adults age 15-to-24-year-olds. They maintain that, majority of children and adolescents who attempt suicide have a significant mental health disorder, usually depression.
Admittedly, the teen years are stressful because of the rapid developmental changes in the body, mind and emotions. These strong feelings of stress, fear, confusion and anxiety have a way of impacting the teen’s performance and sense of self-worth. While some adolescents can manage the transition, the developmental process can be very challenging and unsettling for others.
For some adolescents, the stage of development combined with factors like problems at home-including divorce, financial issues, sibling rivalry, moving towns, changes in friends, problems in school, body shaming and other losses are risk factors that push them to think suicide is the solution to end all the problems. Other risk factors include a family history of suicide attempts, exposure to violence, aggressive or disruptive behavior, bullying, access to firearms and drug, as well as the inability to cope with pressure from peers.
Suicide in Ghana
The Ghanaian situation is alarming! According to the Ghana Mental Health Authority, there were 797 recorded cases in 2018, the figure shot up to 880 in 2019 and slightly dropped to 777 in 2020, but shot up to an alarming 902 cases in 2021. Sadly, these are only reported cases; several other cases are not reported for fear of stigma. The Ghana Mental Health Authority is gravely concerned about this worrying situation, and has made a clarion call for organizations and institutions to step up advocacy and institute measures to curb the growing trend. It is also crucial that we all join the advocacy to decriminalise suicide because the punitive law does not help solve the problem.
Suicide is a desperate cry for help!
Since depression, stress and anxiety are risk factors for suicide, we can conclude from the human behavioural perspective that suicide is a desperate cry for help! It could be a point of hopeless despair of inability to handle challenges or changes that are perceived to be death sentences, rather than stepping stones or opportunities for development.
Particularly for adolescents and young adults who are confronted with somewhat harsh changes compounded by the fast transient world system of information and individualistic lifestyle, we can only support them with the requisite information to make informed choices. To these, suicide may only be an expression of that inner desperate cry for help navigate the transition.
Need for a community of support
That’s why parents, teachers, counsellors and psychologists must build their capacity to provide mental, emotional and spiritual support for teens so that the teens can also build their own independent coping and problem solving skills. Organizations and communities should also provide safe spaces and platforms of support networks first, to handle the challenges associated with adolescence and then to deal with suicidal tendencies. These groups and platforms can help provide a caring environment where adolescents can safely and confidently talk about their problems with people who share their concerns.
This is especially for teens and young adults facing issues of low self-esteem, bullying, domestic violence and abuse, body image issues, living with an alcoholic family member or sexuality and sexual health concerns. This is where the role of Discovery Teen Magazine and Foundation is crucial.
Discovery Teen Magazine & Foundation
Discovery Teen Magazine & Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, committed to mentoring and empowering adolescents to make informed choices. The Foundation educates adolescents and young adults about the changes and challenges associated with their stage of development, the likely implications and how to navigate the transition. It also highlights adolescent challenges and helps parents, teachers and policy makers to provide the appropriate support for the transition.
The Discovery Teen Chats and Discovery Dialogues are safe spaces and platforms where adolescents and parents interact and discuss the peculiar challenges adolescent face in order to provide appropriate solutions for them. WE continue to receive positive feedback on the impact.
What Are the Warning Signs of Suicide?
When a teen commits suicide, many people are affected, including family, friends, their school, and the entire community. While the reasons behind an attempted suicide or suicide can be complex or shocking, there are warning signs which can help us pick hints once we pay attention.
Children and adolescents thinking about suicide may openly express their intentions through statements or comments like “I wish I was dead,” or “Very soon, I won’t be a problem or burden for anyone.” They may also engage in activities such as songs, books, music, drawings or painting and films about death. Other warning signs associated with suicide can include:
• talking about suicide or death in general
• withdrawal from friends, family and regular activities
• suddenly develop interest in activities and things that make them be alone
• become very secretive
• talking about “going away”
• referring to things they “won’t be needing,” and giving away possessions
• talking about feeling hopeless or guilty
• having no desire to take part in favorite things or activities
• trouble concentrating or thinking clearly
• changes in eating or sleeping habits
• self-destructive behaviors (drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or cutting themselves
• frequent or pervasive sadness, frequent complaints about physical symptoms often related to emotions, such as stomachaches, headaches, fatigue, etc.
• decline in the quality of school work
Seeking professional help
Depression and suicidal feelings are treatable mental disorders. Affected adolescents need to have their illness recognized and diagnosed, and appropriately treated by professionals. People often feel uncomfortable talking about suicide. However, asking your child or adolescent whether he or she is depressed or thinking about suicide can be helpful. Specific examples of such questions include:
• Are you feeling sad or depressed?
• Are you thinking about hurting or killing yourself?
• Have you ever thought about hurting or killing yourself?
Temporary helplines provided by the Ghana Mental Health Authority
The Ghana Mental Health Authority must be commended for the provision of temporary helplines across the country, manned by trained personnel. This is a great boost to addressing the issue because the first step to addressing suicidal behaviours is the need for availability support systems.
We also applaud the advocacy efforts of the Authority in pushing for the decriminalising suicide attempts in the Ghanaian laws. We applaud the efforts that have resulted in the private member’s bill seeking to repeal the law criminalising attempted suicide from our criminal code.
National Helplines
020-000-9997
020-681-4666
050-344-4793
Regional Helplines
055-538-3056 – Ashanti
020-922-8954 – Brong and Ahafo
024-425-5594 – Central
024-401-4348 – Eastern
024-424-9928 – Greater Accra
024-450-8838 -Northern, North-East, Savanna
024-395-0520 – Upper West
020-630-4788 – Upper East
024-267-1862 – Volta, Oti
024-489-0018 – Western, Western North
Conclusion
We can only provide solutions to issues concerning our adolescents and young adults when we hold objective discussions and address them through a concerted and collaborative efforts. That is why parents, teachers, religious and traditional leaders and other stakeholders must be part of the advocacy to prevent suicide at all levels in or society.
Finally to anybody, especially young person experiencing any life changing situation that makes you feel hopeless and think you want to take your life, suicide is not the solution. There is help, just call for help. Your life counts and there is more to live for!
The writer, Mercy C. Adjabeng, is a Communication Specialist and Gender Advocate. Founder, Discovery Teen Magazine and Foundation
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
Some survivors of attempted suicide have called on the government to decriminalize thelaw on suicide attempts and instead channel resources towards its prevention.
Their calls come as the world marks World Suicide Prevention Day observed on 10th September every year, to provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides.
In Ghana, suicide rates in the country have decreased from 7.80 in 2010 to 6.60 in 2019, with 1500 reported cases of suicide nationwide yearly and over 700,000 global suicide deaths annually. Also, in Ghana, in each reported case of suicide are four unreported cases, summing the number of unreported cases to almost 6000 yearly.
The 1960 Criminal Code Act 29, Section 57 states: “Whoever attempts to commit suicide shall be guilty of a misdemeanour.”
But describing the law as senseless and meaningless, Mr. Edmond Tetteh Padi, a 48-year-old survivor of three suicide attempts and a resident of Somanya in the Eastern Region, argued that victims of suicide attempts need to be counselled and not prosecuted.
“I don’t think that law is meaningful and sensible enough… it’s like something is urging you, something is pushing you to do it, either psychological or whatever, so at the end of the day, the person rather needs to be counselled than rather you prosecuting the person and putting the person in jail,” he reasoned.
Proposing how such survivors should rather be used in sensitizing members of the public against the act, he said, “I think that they have to give us counselling and then maybe gather people that have made an attempt and survived to come out and talk to people that are thinking or want to do a similar thing that all hope is not lost yet.”
Mr. Edmond Tetteh Padi is one of several thousands of Ghanaians who have survived attempts to take their life, his case on three occasions – and all three had a common underlining cause – frustrations due to what he described as life’s failures.
Speaking about his experiences for the very first time to GhanaWeb’s Eastern Regional Correspondent, Michael Oberteye in Somanya, the divorcee and father of one attributing his actions to dejection following failures in his life and hardships especially considering his age, Mr. Padi intimated, “It is like out of perplex and frustration simply because what I was expecting in life, I was not getting it and I thought that if such situations should continue then the best way is to end my life.”
Adding that he carefully thought over his intended actions before proceeding, the businessman and commercial farmer recalling the last incident in 2019 disclosed, “I sat down, and I thought of it for three days, and I took action. I bought chemicals that I thought that if I take it, I’ll surely die, so I mixed the DDT with water, and then I took it.”
The suicide survivor who said the chemical didn’t take his life attempted the act again three days later, this time with rat poison but added that just before he could drink the toxic substance, he received a call from someone he described as God-sent who counselled him.
Describing his survival as miraculous, he said, “I’ll say all the occasions of attempting, I took the drugs, but they didn’t work…after taking the medicines, I went to bed expecting to die, but I didn’t, so I’ll say survival is a miracle and the work of God.”
GhanaWeb Special: Suicide survivors share how they escaped death
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Asked if he had finally gotten over his troubles and was not likely to attempt the act again, Mr. Padi answered in the affirmative, adding that he was ever ready to serve as an advocate against the act.
Madam Tettey Kenie, a 51-year-old food seller at Asitey in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality, attempted suicide on two occasions, the second only three weeks ago.
Also attributing her actions to financial challenges and abandonment by her estranged husband, the mother of seven (one deceased) sharing her story, narrated that being abandoned by her former husband more than ten years ago after realizing their daughter whom she had delivered couldn’t speak and being pursued by her debtors whom she had credited food items from convinced her that death was the only way out.
“I had a daughter with my husband, but he abandoned us due to the child’s inability to speak. My debtors and the police were also coming after me, and I ran away. When I returned home, I realized I had no money, so I decided to end it all.
“I mixed DDT with salt and drank the contents. I realized the walls of my stomach had shed,” she narrated, adding that it took her landlord to rush her to the hospital after she disclosed her actions to him.
Three weeks ago, Madam Kenie repeated her suicide attempt by mixing powerzone bleach with alcohol and akesha (a local chemical used to scrub floors and other surfaces), once more attributing her actions to financial difficulties. Again, she survived after being rushed to the hospital.
Asked if she could be tempted to attempt taking her life if her predicaments persisted, she answered: “While my debtors come after me and I have the money? For that, I can’t stand it.”
She called for the repeal of the act criminalizing attempted suicide in Ghana, arguing that such persons need support and not be prosecuted and possibly jailed.
Madam Kenie’s brother, 40-year-old Mr. Stephen Odei Kwabla confirmed his elder sister’s actions, adding that he personally counsels his sister against her suicidal habits.
He also condemned the law criminalizing attempted suicide and called for its immediate repeal.
Mr. Eric Narh, a medical statistician, however, maintained that the law must be maintained to serve as a deterrent to persons who may want to take their lives.
“The law should be maintained because once there’s a law, it means that once you want to commit any crime, you should look at the magnitude of the crime because once it involves a penalty for you to be sentenced or jailed or to be fined, you know that once what you’re going to do [can land you in prison, you avoid it],” said the statistician.
He further called on the government to resource and empower the state agencies and service providers, particularly the Mental Health Authority of Ghana, Ghana Health Service, and the Department of Social Welfare, among others, to sensitize and make comprehensive psychological support available at all levels of the health system and in educational institutions for people who might have the tendency to attempt suicide.
Recent statistics indicate that suicide in the country is on the rise.
According to the data 6.6 per cent out of every 1,000 persons committed suicide in 2020 in Ghana.
Also, four out of every five suicide cases could have been prevented if help was sought, Dr Ebenezer Tetteh Kpalam, a Clinical Psychologist, has said.
Dr Kpalam, therefore, emphasised the need for stakeholders to reach out to those considering taking their lives as they show evidence of the intention to commit suicide.
He said suicide was also common globally as the World Health Organisation (WHO) had revealed that about 703,000 die annually from suicide.
“Some of the warning signs that all must look out for in people, include, those who start to talk about suicide and death with examples such as “I wish I was not born; I wish I was dead; I want to kill myself, among others,” Dr Kpalam told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Tema to mark the World Suicide Prevention Day.
The Clinical Psychologist added that such persons ask a lot of questions about death and what could lead to it, adding that some also start dashing out their valuable items without any reason, and engage in risky behaviours such as reckless driving, and crossing the road without caution, among others.
He added that other warning signs include excessive drug and alcohol intake, mood swings, and withdrawal, adding that in most cases persons with suicidal thoughts say something about it to somebody before carrying out the act.
Dr Kpalam urged the public to encourage such persons to seek help from professionals at the Ghana Mental Health Authority, the Ghana Psychological Councils, public hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, and counselling units of religious bodies as they also have links to the professionals.
He advised the public against being judgmental or questioning the faith of people who confided in them about their suicidal thoughts but rather give them the necessary help to prevent them from engaging in the act.
According to Dr Kpalam, some of the reasons why people consider suicide over living is the lack of support as people find themselves in a difficult situation without anywhere to tend for help.
Other factors, he said pressure on adolescents to excel academically like their peers leads to depression, abandonment, shame, and reputation management, which, he noted was a big issue now due to the emergence of social media which people use to shame others through the circulation of sex videos, among others.
Dr Kpalam said existential struggle had to do with the stresses of daily life, including economic issues, health problems, social, and joblessness, among others.
He said people must pay attention and identify such tendencies in their loved ones to help them receive the needed attention and prevent them from committing the act.
It is suspected that a man attempted suicide butmiraculously survived the incident with life-threatening injuries.
In less than a minute video sighted by MyNewsGh.com, the man who many suspect is mentally deranged is seen jumping from a height of the interchange amidst creams from residents and landing on the floor.
He, however, did not die and was rushed to the TamaleCentral Hospital for treatment, according to some onlookers who wondered what the motivation for the act was.
Police in Tamale confirmed the incident to MyNewsGh.com and disclosed that they are investigating the matter and have yet to take a statement from the man who has yet to be identified.
In April this year, residents raised concerns about how pedestrians, especially schoolchildren, have turned the dual-carriage interchange into a walkway and playground.
Although members of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA) task force are sometimes deployed to the interchange and surrounding areas to ensure order, the situation returns immediately after they close from work.
Background
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on March 29, 2022, commissioned the first-ever Tamale Interchange Project under the Sinohydro deal.
The Northern Region benefitted from the 2 billion dollar loan and a grant from the Chinese government meant to develop the country, which was used to construct the interchange in the ancient town of Tamale.
The project was one of the promises of the Akufo-Addo-led government under the Master Project Support Agreement (MPSA) between the Government of Ghana (GOG) and the $2 billion Sinohydro Corporation Company of China.
The Tamale interchange is about one kilometre long and links Kumasi Road through Point 7, Central Taxi Rank, Central Market intersection with Melcom Road and Bolgatanga Road.
A man in his late 40s has allegedly committed suicide while in police custody.
What actually triggered his action is unknown, however, police sources say his lifeless body was found hanging from the iron bar at the vent of the cell washroom.
This is after the 48-year-old was invited by the police on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, and detained at the Kyeremasu Police Station for offences of alleged threat of harm and assault.
When his body was found, he had tied his neck with a nylon singlet he wore while in custody.
“An officer on duty at the counter saw the lifeless body hanging and the attention of other colleagues were drawn to the unfortunate incident,†the source said.
The body of Kyere has since been deposited at the Presbyterian Hospital morgue at Kyeremasu for autopsy and preservation.
As a result of the unfortunate incident, the youth from the town suspecting foul play has called on the Inspector General of Police Dr George Akuffo Dampare to take interest in the case in order to unearth truth about the incident.
A police constable allegedly committed suicide at his duty post, a telecommunication office, near the Obetsebi Circle, in Accra, on Wednesday.
The deceased, identified as Abukari Salifu of the Operational Unit at the police headquarters, Accra, who was suspected to have shot himself with a service rifle, was found in a pool of blood in a washroom at his duty post.
The Ghanaian Times gathered that police had information about the tragedy at 12:30pm and proceeded to the scene to commence investigations.
A team from the Crime Scene Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) visited the scene and the body was conveyed to the Police Hospital Mortuary.
Eyewitnesses reportedly alerted the police that they heard a sound of a gunshot in the washroom, and when they went to find out what had happened, they found Salifu lying in a pool of blood.
A statement issued by the Director-General of the Police Public Affairs, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Kwesi Ofori, confirmed the tragedy.
It said, “The Ghana Police Service (GPS) is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of one of our own, a police officer, who allegedly shot himself, while on duty, on April 27, 2022, at the Graphic Road, Abossey Okai.â€
It would be recalled that there had been a series of alleged suicide by police personnel within the last two years.
They include Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Divine Asiam, who was with the Legal and Prosecutions Unit of the Ghana Police Service (GPS), until he allegedly shot himself in his room at Borteyman, Accra.
Superintendent of Police Cyprian Zenge, who was Half Assini District Police Commander, also reportedly shot himself on January 30, 2021.
Consequently, the GPS, last year, established the Police Counseling Unit to give police personnel and their dependents psychological services and assistance.
The body of the almost 60-year-old headmaster was found hanging on a rope tied to a mango tree on the compound of his residence at about 5:30 am on Monday, March 7, 2022, an incident considered to be a suicide.
Confirming the incident to Starr News, Assemblyman for the Viepe-Tokor Electoral Area, Victor Ayaku said, “At about 5:30 am on Monday, I received a call from one of my Unit Committee members who informed me of the incident. I rushed to the scene and realised it was true, so I called the police who came to pick up the body.â€
The body of the deceased has since been deposited at the Ketu South Municipal hospital morgue for preservation as investigations continue.
According to other sources, the deceased prior to his death had been moody and behaved quite unusual, a change staff of the school had detected.
A 61-year-old mason Henry Kwasi Ameho, known as Apaw, has committed suicide by hanging this dawn at Kasoa Lamptey.
According to neighbours, he had no problem with anyone in the area; hence they found it strange what could have triggered the suicide.
They, however, hinted that the deceased became very quiet and kept to himself without talking to people until he allegedly committed suicide.
The deceased’s wife, Madam Abena Nyarko, narrating the incident, expressed shock and sadness over the unfortunate incident.
Madam Abena Nyarko said she has three children, and the husband’s death has devastated the family.
She told Rainbow Radio’s Nana Yaw Asare that the two had no problem hence found it unfortunate that the husband would take his own life.
She further revealed she consistently told the late husband to meet her family because he had not met her family before since they started dating.
She also stated the deceased did not officially perform the rites to make her his wife, and that was one thing she kept asking him about.
“He had no problem with anyone. We had no problem, and I don’t remember him complaining that he had a problem with me. The thing was that he had not performed my marriage rites, and so I kept reminding him to go and see my family and introduce himself to them. We went to church together on Sunday, returned home and cooked, and ate together. After, I left only to come back to see that he has committed suicide,” she narrated.
Ghana Psychological Association has cautioned the media to be circumspect in publishing photos of persons who have succeeded in committing suicide.
Public Relations Officer of the Association, Madam Joy Debrah, speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5fm said, such acts could trigger more suicide cases.
According to her, people with suicide tendencies act on the success of other people they see in the media to carry out their act.
On the causes of suicide cases, she said the factors could include psychological issues, depression, financial difficulties, hopelessness, physical abuse of any kind, bullying, academic performance among others.
She explained to the news team that people with suicide tendencies speak about it hence when people tell others they want to commit suicide, it should not be treated as a joke.
She opined that people who receive such information from friends should see themselves as a lifeline to those who tell them of their intention to commit suicide.
She also asked the public not to assume that persons who seek psychological help or the services of a counsellor are mentally unstable.
Madam Joy Debrah said it would be prudent for people to seek help if they are depressed because suicide is not an option.
According to a story by Vanguard, a Nigerian student with a popular university has committed suicide by plunging from the third-floor of a storey building on Friday, March 12.
The report says the young man decided to take this unfortunate path after he was caught cheating in an exam. The unnamed lecturer reportedly seized his phone, tore his script a few minutes to the end of the exam, and handed him a new script to start afresh.
The deceased left the examination hall, went to his lodge at Onuiyi, in Nsukka Local Government Area of the state, and allegedly injected some poisonous substances including rat poison. When the poisons failed to produce immediate results, the student jumped from a storey building around 11:34 pm.
According to an occupant of the lodge, who identified herself as Nkechi Abo, when the incident happened, they rushed to the deceased room where they discovered rat poison, bleach containers and syringes.
Another occupant, Christabel Okpara, told Vanguard that they alerted the caretaker of the lodge when they discovered the student struggling for life after jumping from the third floor. He was rushed to the Bishop Shanahan Hospital, Nsukka where he died in the early hours of Saturday, March 13.
The caretaker of the lodge who pleaded for anonymity told Vanguard that he reported the incident to the police after every attempt to revive him failed in the hospital.
“A friend who stayed with him when he regained consciousness in the hospital said he complained of frustration with his last examination encounter and financial hardship. He told him that his family was not giving him enough money for upkeep. He said he was bitter that the lecturer also seized his phone,†the caretaker narrated.
“When I rushed to the lodge, I saw him on the floor clutching a kitchen knife. We immediately rushed him to the hospital and he was given immediate medical attention. We later returned to his room where we discovered rat poison and bleach. We also saw syringes on the floor. We also saw a rope tied to his ceiling fan.
“He is a loner because I have not seen him with any friend since he parked into the lodge. I was surprised that one girl who identified herself as Scholastica showed up as his girlfriend. I think he must have been suffering from depression silently.â€
At least five people were killed in Mogadishu on Tuesday after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt near a police academy, according to a Somali Police official.
Spokesperson Sadiq Adan Ali said eight other people were wounded in the blast in the Somali capital.
He said the bomber targeted a restaurant frequented by police.
The Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group often targets Mogadishu.
Experts for the United Nations have warned that the al-Qaida-affiliated group is improving its explosives-making skills.
Al-Shabab remains the most active and resilient extremist group in Africa, controlling parts of southern and central Somalia.
It has fired several mortars this year at the heavily defended international airport, where the US Embassy and other missions are located.
A 31-year-old man on Tuesday morning shot himself in the head after a road rage at Ayeduase near the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.
The 31-year-old Sampson Zabanga shot himself in the head to escape a mob attack after he had shot Kwame Amoah, 52, during the altercation.
The altercation followed an incident of a reported careless driving at Ayeduase in Kumasi, Tuesday morning [November 17, 2020].
In the ensuing exchanges, the middle-aged man, Sampson Zabanga reportedly shot Kwame Amoah, who had confronted him over the said careless driving incident before he shot himself.
He is said to have shot himself at the scene when there was an attempt to disarm him.
The suspect and the victim are both in critical condition and receiving treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) under police guard.
The suspect was driving a saloon vehicle – KIA Optima – with registration number GR 2019 – 17.
Eyewitness account
An eyewitness said they saw the middle-aged man driving “carelessly” in the Ayeduase area.
And so some people asked him not to drive carelessly and that resulted in verbal exchanges.
According to the eyewitness, just as they thought the issue had been settled, they saw Amoah move in front of the guy’s vehicle forcing the guy to step out of the vehicle, hit Amoah’s chest and slapped him in the face.
This resulted in a fight which the eyewitness said he saw the guy picking a gun from his vehicle and shot Amoah subsequently.
The eyewitness said he heard a second gunshot whilst holding Amoah who had then fallen to the ground before seeing the guy shooting himself.
Police reaction
The Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr Godwin Ahianyo said both the suspect and the victim are at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) receiving emergency medical care under police guard.
According to the police, preliminary information gathered indicated that after shooting Amoah, Zabanga went into his car and tried to escape because the mob had blocked the road from both sides and were pelting his car with stones and fearing that he might be lynched, he shot himself in the head.
He said when the police got to the scene, they found both victims and in a pool of blood and initially sent them to the KNUST Hospital where they were referred to KATH.
A driver of a KIA saloon vehicle has shot himself after shooting a man who warned him against careless driving at Ayeduase near Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
The victim, Amoah who is a painter, was shot three times in the stomach after returning a slap from the driver.
The driver, according to the eyewitnesses, was quarreling with a woman who sat in the front seat of the vehicle.
He shot himself after he was surrounded by the police who had rushed to the scene to prevent a mob action.
Amoah, had moved in to tell the driver to drive cautiously on the busy road when he was caught in traffic.
The two who are in critical condition have been sent to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for medical attention.
Head of Psychology at the University of Ghana, Prof. Joseph Osafo says Christianity is one of the major causes of suicide in Ghana.
Prof. Joseph Osafo disclosed this as the world marks Suicide Prevention Day today, September 10.
He expounded that he and his team interviewed some mental health patients in the country and a large number of them attributed their problems to their faith in God.
Speaking in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi onPeace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’, he said ”we interviewed 30 attempt survivors at the hospital and it was very interesting. Look at what we found, we saw that more than 20 of them were angry at God. This is what we call a psychology faith crisis. According to them, they’re angry at God because [1] they’re getting frustrated asking God to intervene”.
He revealed that their findings showed that the patients were angry with God due to the sermons that their Pastors preached to them.
“Within the remit of African prophetic theology, there’s something we call triumphalism. Triumphalism means that, when you go to a lot of churches, especially the prophetic ministries, they give you a picture that God’s intervention is so real that no matter the existential crisis confronting a person, when they preach the Word and they give you the prophecy, God will intervene. Now, what happens is that they become frustrated when they don’t get the results . . . It is this theology of escaping suffering that creates a problem for them.”
He appealed to religious leaders, particularly Prophets, to desist from giving false hope to their congregants saying “you need to articulate the Bible in a way to transform the person’s mind” and tell the truth about reality.
A 16-year-old boy, said to be a betting/gambling addict, has allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself on a tree at Asonomaso in the Kwabre East District of Ashanti, on Wednesday.
The deceased, Kwaku Appiah, a form two student of Osei Kyeretwie Senior High School, was said to have caused the stir following hot exchanges with his mother over the betting/gambling practice, on Tuesday.
The mother was said to have threatened to call the police for his arrest, if he would not stop the practice.
Confirming the incident to the Ghanaian Times, the Unit Committee Chairman in the community, King Aluta, said the deceased told the mother he would kill himself should she call the police for his arrest.
He said the boy, surprisingly, was found hanging on a tree, dead, behind their house in the early hours of Wednesday.
Betting, especially, on football, has become a “juicy†practice with mostly young boys becoming very addicted to it, in the country.
It is interesting to note the boys would not hesitate to fill to the brim betting places any time there was a football match.
Some of these boys could spend a whole day in such places waiting anxiously for outcomes.
According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, those who engage in gambling are more likely than others to suffer from low self-esteem, develop stress-related disorders, become anxious, have poor sleep and appetite, or suffer from depression.
Two dead bodies have been recovered by the police at Madina and Fise in Accra.
Roy Kwasi Wilson, 41, and Samuel Ofori Agyapong, 54, retrieved at Madina and Fise respectively, were alleged to have committed suicide and found hanging dead in their respective rooms.
According to the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Effia Tenge, who confirmed the tragedy to the Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday, the police have commenced investigations into the two incidents.
She said on July 26, at about 8:00 am, a gentleman from Teshie, reported to the police that at about 7:30 am, he visited his brother Wilson at Madina and found the brother dead and hanged on a rope in his room.
DSP Tenge said the police proceeded to the scene and saw a young man hanged on a rope with his feet off the ground.
Similarly, she said the police received information from a complainant, the brother-in-law of Agyepong about his death.
The police PRO said on July 27, at about 10:30am the complainant went to his brother-in-law’s room and found him hanged on a hook of a ceiling fan tied with a nylon sponge.
She said both bodies have been sent to the police hospital mortuary for examination and autopsy.
Police in Effiduase in the Eastern Region are investigating a suicide incident involving a nine-year-old boy.
The deceased, Frimpong Adjei, was found hanging on a green nylon sponge tied around the neck to a crossbar in a room of a house in Asokore, a suburb of New Juaben North at about 3:30 pm on July 24, 2020.
The cause of his action is not known.
According to the local Police, Eric Frimpong, father of the deceased reported the incident at the Police station.
Police investigators dispatched to the scene found the lifeless body of the child removed and lying in supine position at the porch of a single room house near Asokore Romantic Junior High School.
Police also found out the deceased passed out during the act. Ligature marks were also detected around the neck when the body was examined.
The body of the deceased has been deposited at the St.Josephs Hospital pending further investigation by Police.
Eastern region has seen a surge in suicide cases this year. Over 10 incidents have been reported by Starr News Eastern Regional Correspondent Kojo Ansah since January. Alot are not reported.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) , close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year.
A young man yet to be identified shocked pedestrians when he tried to take his own life on the Kaneshie Footbridge in Accra.
It is unclear what could probably motivate the rasta-haired man to choose that medium as the best option to exit the land of the living
In a video sighted by Kasapafmonline.com, the man was seen hanging dangerously on some metals beneath the busy footbridge, an incident that attracted a sizable number of onlookers most of whom were stunned by what they were witnessing.
Tried as the people did in persuading the man not to end his life, he remained adamant and continued to hang like a bat.
After their persuasions failed, the people who were not discouraged then decided to map out a strategize to save the man.
They then stopped an approaching TATA bus, mounted the bus, and with the help of a police officer successfully brought down the man onto the roof of the bus where he was subsequently handcuffed and sent to the police station.
A rather bizarre incident happened at Kaneshie Market, Sunday, when a young man attempted to commit suicide on the overpass.
Footage of the act which has been in circulation since Sunday morning captures the unidentified man holding on to what appears to be a metal which forms part of the overpass.
The fear of leaving the metal and dropping dead caught the attention of passersby who made attempts to stop him from the heinous act.
Having hanged up there for more than four minutes amidst concerns as to what could have informed his decision to attempt to commit suicide, he was eventually saved when a truck stopped beneath the overpass to aid some two men to climb to rescue him.
Two men have committed suicide by hanging in the Eastern region.
The two incidents involving a 48 and 19-year-old men happened separately at Akyem Akroso and Nsawam respectively.
At Akyem Akroso, a 48-year-old man Shaibu Musah, a former Community Police Assistant (CPA) was found hanging Wednesday morning on a tree
The deceased who was a member of the Community Watchdog Committee is believed to have committed the act over marital issues.
He left behind a wife and four children. His body has been deposited at the Oda Government Hospital Morgue for preservation and autopsy.
At Nsawam, a 19-year-old form-one Junior High School student Joshua Mensah was also found hanging with a nylon rope on a pear tree in a garden.
According to the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Eastern Regional Police Command, Sergeant Francis Gomado, homicide detectives dispatched to Asante Akora near Nsawam where the incident happened reported that “the deceased was found wearing a light blue sweater and deep blue shorts. On inspection, bruises were seen on the neck, with a protruding tongue. The distance between the tree and the neck measured 6 inchesâ€.
He continued, “preliminary investigation reveals that the deceased lived with his parents and four other siblings but about 11:00 pm the deceased went to bed with the family as usual. On the next day, on June 6, 2020, at about 5:30 am the complainant woke up only to detect that the son was not in bed. He started looking for him only to find the body hanging on a tree in the houseâ€.
The body was conveyed and deposited at Nsawam Government Hospital morgue for preservation.
In March this year, two persons also committed suicide by hanging in separate incidents in Akyem Agyapomaa and Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
These incidents and many others recorded this year raises serious concerns about the state of mental health services in the Region.
The Founder of Jesus Healing Prayer Camp at Kasoa Ofaakor Atopi Hills, popularly known as Pastor Peter has committed suicide after his wife threatened to divorce him.
The Pastor was found hanging in his room after one of his Church Members went to his house for fellowship.
Neighbours of the deceased pastor allege that his wife was unfaithful to him, a situation which got the man of God greatly disturbed.
“The pastor was depressed because his wife was giving him problems. She was unfaithful, flirting around with other men,†some residents told Kasapa News Yaw Boagyan.
The Asafoatse of Awutu Ofaakor, Nana Dua-Quaye, performed some traditional rites before the body of the pastor was conveyed to the morgue by the Police.
The Police have commenced an investigation into the incident.
The Founder and Leader of Jesus Healing Prayer Camp at Kasoa Ofaakor Atopi Hill in the Awutu Senya East Municipality of the Central Region, Pastor peter has committed suicide after his wife allegedly divorced him.
According to sources, the married man of God committed the act on Wednesday night after some church members went to visit him for prayers.
In an interview with Atinka news, some eyewitness expressed shock after the news broke to them.
Meanwhile, the Asafoakye of Awutu Ofaakor Asafoakye Duah Quaye revealed that the man of God died through broken heart after he caught his wife cheating on him.
A 40-year-old pastor of Jesus Healing Prayer camp in Awutu Ofaakor in the Central Region has passed on.
He allegedly died by suicide.
The pastor known by his peers as Peter allegedly hunged himself on Wednesday evening.
Although the reason behind the suicide is not yet known, sources say the pastor allegedly committed the act after his wife divorced him.
Some church members who spoke to Citi News expressed shock at the development.
“I heard a loud noise from the house of the pastor and I rushed into his house only to find him hanging on a sponge in his room,†one said.
“This is the first time such a thing has happened in this area so we are surprised,†he added.
Another church member told Citi News that the pastor moved to the area not too long ago.
“The pastor was staying in Nigeria with one of my friends but later moved to Ghana and started his church and I also started attending the church since he was a good pastor. I am surprised to hear that he is dead,†another church member said.
Asafoatse of Awutu Ofaakor Asafoatse Duah Quaye who spoke to Citi News believes the man of God committed suicide as a result of the challenges he was facing in his marriage.
He noted that the chiefs and people of Awutu Ofaakor will perform some traditional rites to pacify the gods.
“The man of God had challenges in his marriage and I am sure it was one of the reasons why he committed suicide but as traditional leaders, we will perform some rituals to pacify the gods before he is sent to the mortuary,†Asafoatse Duah Quaye said.
A final year Junior High School (JHS) student has allegedly committed suicide at Nakaba, a suburb of Enchi in the Aowin Municipality of the Western North Region.
The deceased, Prince Meisu, 14, was discovered hanging on a crossbar in his place of abode.
The Enchi District Police Commander, Superintendent of Police Bernard Akotoge who confirmed the story to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said on Saturday, May 30, 2020, Opanin John Kojo Asemiah, the deceased grandfather reported to the Enchi Police post that at about 1600 hours on that day, Meisu returned from town but few minutes later they detected he had committed suicide.
He said the police proceeded to the crime scene and found the deceased lying on a bed with a whitish substance foaming from his mouth.
According to Superintendent Akotoge, the Police suspects no foul play as there were no marks of violence when the body was inspected.
He said the body has since been conveyed and deposited at the Enchi Government Hospital morgue for preservation awaiting autopsy with investigations ongoing.
A final year Junior High School (JHS) student has allegedly committed suicide at Nakaba, a suburb of Enchi in the Aowin Municipality of the Western North Region.
The body of the deceased, Prince Meisu, 14, was discovered hanging on a cross bar in his place of abode.
The Enchi District Police Commander, Superintendent of Police Bernard Akotoge who confirmed the story to the Ghana News Agency, said on Saturday, May 30, 2020, Opanin John Kojo Asemiah, the deceased grandfather reported to the Enchi Police post that at about 1600 hours on that day, Meisu returned from town but few minutes later they detected he had committed suicide.
He said the police proceeded to the crime scene and found the deceased lying on a bed with a whitish substance foaming from his mouth.
According to Superintendent Akotoge, the Police suspects no foul play as there were no marks of violence when the body was inspected.
He said the body has since been conveyed and deposited at the Enchi Government hospital morgue for preservation awaiting autopsy with investigations on going.
