One Abiodun Onipede is currently cooling his heels in detention following his arrest by the Anti-Vandal team of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC, Ogun State command for attempting to commit suicide over his inability to refund a N50,000 Lift Above poverty Organization (Lapo) loan.
Inside Sources gathered that Onipede was arrested yesterday in Ayetoro area of Abeokuta in Ogun state while attempting to use a rope tied to a tree to take his life inside a bush.
Sources in the area disclosed that a member of the anti-vandal team of the Nigerian security and Civil defense Corps NSCDC was about to ease himself in the bush when he spotted Onipede in the act and raised an alarm which led to his arrest.
The 34 year old Onipede a commercial tricycle (keke napep) operator during interrogation said he lost one of his children due to his inability to pay the hospital bills. He had raised money for the child surgery which was successful but, later lost him after some complications arising from the surgery.
According to him, his inability to perform his responsibility as the head of the family and also failure to pay the ‘Lapo’ loan, an informal money lender syndicate forced him to take the decision to taking his life.
Narrating his experience Onipede said “I am a 200 level Drop-out of Federal College of Education, Osiele, I dropped out because I could not get financial assistance to continue. Due to the health problem of my child in 2008, I had to drop out so that I could have some money to take care of my sick child. But, we later lost the child in 2009 because we were unable to pay some hospital bills after people have helped us in raising money for the surgery. I was duped by some people and they even threatened me, and this made me to leave Abeokuta for Akwa-Ibom state. It was when I came back after a year that I discovered I have been sacked from the TRACE. I am frustrated because am owing a lot of people ranging from house bill to electricity bill, and some other bills. I am ashamed of myself because am not a responsible man, I cannot cater for my family as a head. The Lapo officials have used OPC to arrest my wife because of the money, if not for the help of my pastor. Am just frustrated because I have to pay N3,000 every Friday and I am presently jobless. And I still have like N24,000 to balance . I cannot pay the hospital bill of my mother, I can’t take care of her, I was told she is now on the street begging to survive. No family to help me, we have been living in abject poverty. What added to my conclusion to commit suicide was due to my inability to refund the ‘Lapo’ loan I collected when I wanted to start my tricycle business. The officials of the Lapo have been giving my family tough times for sometimes now, because, I cannot afford to be repaying N3,000 every Friday.
Lapo loan is a popular loan among the Yoruba entities; where people are being lent money with a high interest.
