Police Begin Investigation Into Officer Who Commits Suicide in Imo

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Saturday, November 30th, 2019

From Ignatius Okpara, Owerri

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Police Authorities in Imo state, South- East Nigeria, has begun full scale investigation into circumstances that led one of its personnel, Sergeant Paul Joseph, to commit Suicide.

Before his death last Wednesday, the deceased was attached to a branch of Access Bank at Ahiara junction, Ahiazu, Mbaise Council Area of the State.

He was said to have committed suicide over alleged delayed in promotion.

The state Police Public Relations Officer PPRO, Mr. Orlando Ikeokwu,who confirmed the incident to newsmen in Owerri, the Imo state capital, said the deceased corpse had been deposited at an undisclosed mortuary in the state.

He disclosed that the Police had also recovered the service rifle which Joseph allegedly used in taking his own life, adding that state Police Commissioner, Rabiu Ladodo, had ordered investigation into the incident.

According to the Imo police Spokesman, “We have evacuated the corpse to a morgue, and we have recovered the rifle, suicide is not a crime. What is a crime is attempted suicide.

The PPRO said “he would have been arrested if anybody had rescued him while he allegedly tried to commit suicide, the CP has ordered a full-scale investigation. We want to find out why a serving Police officer who earned salaries took his own life.

“There are many assumptions, but we don’t want to be carried away by them, we want to find out what led to the suicide.

It was gathered that the late police man, who hailed from Taraba State, was long overdue for promotion to the rank of Inspector but had yet to be promoted by the Police Service Commission PSC, a development that made him an unhappy man till his death, a source at the bank who craved anonymity told newsmen.

The source said, “while workers were resuming for work for the day, they heard gunshot at the security house at the gate, upon enquiry, we discovered that the policeman had killed himself, he shot himself to death.”