12-year-old girl commits suicide in Bayelsa

Yenagoa — A 12-year-old girl, Monday, allegedly committed suicide in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the police told the News Agency of Nigeria, yesterday. Mr Alex Akhigbe, Bayelsa Police Public Relations Officer, told NAN that the girl allegedly hanged herself early on Monday. He said: “Yes, police have confirmed the death of the young girl, who killed herself behind her father’s house early in the morning, yesterday (Monday). “The police have also evacuated the corpse from the scene and deposited it in the mortuary. The corpse is still awaiting autopsy. “It was a very strange act and a surprise to see a young girl of that age take her life; it is a real mystery.” He, however, said that investigations were ongoing in the matter to establish the motive behind the girl’s alleged action. “Her parents have not talked to the police. We are still investigating to get to the root of the matter,” he said. “Parents should always keep a watch over their children. They should know the character and kind of friends their kids keep.”

“This is not good to our society. What could cause a young person of that age to hang herself to death?; we should improve on moral teaching of our children,” Akhigbe said.

The World Health Organisation, WHO, and International Association for Prevention of Suicide  set aside Sept. 10 to raise global attention on the prevention of suicide.

WHO estimates that the number of people who die by suicide is expected to reach 1.5 million per year by 2020.

A WHO, estimate in 2011 showed that one million people die per year by suicide representing “a death every 40 seconds or about 3,000 every day.”