By Christopher Oji, Lagos

A 65-year-old man has been rescued by the police from jumping into Lagos Lagoon. The man who claimed he wanted to end his life Tuesday afternoon being his birthday was rescued by officials of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command on patrol on the Third Mainland Bridge.

A police officer told Daily Sun that ‘this afternoon while on patrol on Third Mainland Bridge, we saw a 67-year-old man, trying to leap into the Lagoon and we did everything possible to stop him.

‘The elderly man, who gave his name as Oluwatoye Bamgboye, from Oju Ore, Ogun State, was attempting to jump into the Lagos Lagoon inward Lagos Island when we stopped him.

‘He disclosed that a personal challenge made him sell his house, land and car. With that, he still couldn’t solve the problem. He got a loan and the problem still persisted. He explained further that, he secured a job and on the resumption date, he was informed that the job had been given to someone else,’ he said.

The old man was quoted as saying: ‘Today being my birthday, I have decided to end it all. The burden and the frustration are too much for me to bear. My wife has abandoned me in the process.’

The police said the man has been conveyed to Adekunle Police Station where efforts were in progress to contact his family members.