Nigerian soldier commits suicide in Ogun over ‘unpaid allowances’

An operative of the Nigerian Army, attached to 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Boyi ThankGod, has allegedly shot himself in the head and died immediately.

A source in the Army, who pleaded for anonymity, said the soldier killed himself while on standby duty on Monday, the day Nigeria marked Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

The source, who said, the incident happened on Monday, January 15, noted that an investigation is ongoing to unravel why the soldier killed himself.

Another source said the late soldier had complained about his unpaid allowances and showed signs of depression before he took his life on Monday.

He said, “The Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration, which took place on Monday turned out to be a very unpleasant and sorrowful day for the 35 Artillery brigade, as a young soldier identified as Boyi Thankgod, killed himself.

“He was attached to headquarters 35 Artillery brigade Abeokuta, Ogun State, and was detailed for barracks standby duty at the brigade headquarters”.

“He killed himself due to depression and low morale in the system”.

“His friends said he already showed loss of interest in the army job, complained of corruption in the military and low morale.”

“We are just waiting for the military police officers to conclude the investigation to determine what led to the incident”, he said.

The spokesperson of the brigade, Mohammed Goni, could not be reached for comment at press time.