TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Forty-five years old businessman, Chinedu Ogwa, on Thursday, allegedly commited suicide at his residence, at No. 35 Wokoma Street Mile 3 Diobu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Saturday Sun gathered that, late Ogwa, who hailed from Ebonyi State and father of four committed the suicide, when his wife and children left for church vigil.
The devastated widow, Chidinma Ogwa, recalled that her lovely husband had before stated that he was tired of life because of challenges.
Mrs. Ogwa lamented that all her encouraging words and admonition to her husband yielded no fruit.
She stated that her husband was hale and hearty, adding that he was seemingly overwhelmed with issues of life.
Mrs. Ogwa narrated: “He was stressed that despite his 15 years in business, he had nothing to show and people were mocking him. He said he wanted to drink rat poison; but, while he was holding the poison about to take it, he imagined that committing suicided would cause further mockery to his family and that his enemies would have succeeded if that happens.
“I advised him to hand everything over to God and that the world is a battlefield, people facing different challenges; I advised him that he should not give up. While I was advising him, he said look at my beautiful wife and children.
“So, on Thursday, before we left for a church programme, he gave me N5,000 for transportation and also asked me to prepare food for the family. But, when we returned from the church in the morning, our door was still locked.
“I looked through the window and saw a torch light and my husband’s phone inside. I told the children to knock the door that their father was inside”, the bereaved woman lamented.
The widow, who was still in shock, continued: “When we returned from church, our door was still locked, the children knocked for a while and my husband wasn’t responding. So, I checked were we usually keep our extra key, found it and opened the door.
“The house was dark; so, i asked my daughter to go in and switch off the fridge and also change over while I put on our small generator. But, the moment the electricity was turned on, my 12-year-old daughter screamed when she saw her father’s lifeless body with foamy substance on his mouth and poop everywhere.
“She screamed and called out to me and when I rushed into the house, I saw my husband dead on the floor, I shouted and called out to my next door neighbour and caretaker, they both came and when they saw what happened, they rushed to the nearby police station and reported the incident”, she stated.
According to the distraught woman, her late husband left a note in the house asking her and the children to forgive him for the decision he had taken.
She said: “Inside the house, I saw a written note my late husband left for me, telling my children and I to forgive him, that despite his over 15 years in business, he had nothing to show.
“In that note, he (Chinedu), told my younger brother to sell off everything in his shop within three months. He also wrote names of people that were owning him and places his valuables where, as well as his phone pin number”, she disclosed in years.