The Police Public Relations Officer in Lagos, Bala Elkana, says the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu helped in repaying the loan of one Adeyinka Abiodun who was rescued from committing suicide over a debt of N500,000.
Elkana confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday.
According to him, the father of two who resides in the Ikotun area of Lagos State had embarked on a mission to take his own life by jumping into the lagoon.
He, however, failed in the bid as he was promptly intercepted by police operatives deployed in the Third Mainland Bridge.
He revealed that the suicide attempt was thwarted by the security operatives at about 1:50pm on Friday last week while the victim was rescued and taken to the Police Station in Bariga for questioning and debriefing.
According to Elkana, Abiodun narrated that he procured a loan of N390,000 in March with monthly repayment plan for six months and accrued interest of N142,287:25 from a microfinance bank in Lagos Island.
He was said to have collected the loan with intent to upgrade his wine retail business, but the business failed and the money was lost.
When contacted by the police, the microfinance bank confirmed that the man collected the loan.
Elkana noted that the latest incident was the eighth suicide attempt successfully foiled by the police in Lagos in the last two months.
Worried by the rate at which people kill themselves, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Hakeem Odumosu, urged residents to always explore other means of addressing life challenges than resorting to committing suicide.
He stressed that taking their own life was never an option and called on well-meaning individuals to always reach out to the needy and less privileged persons around them.
