A man identified as Jamiu Etiko, has failed in his attempt to commit suicide after swallowing substance suspected to be poison.
Etiko, who’s a resident of Ona-Eri along Ogere Road, Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State, attempted to kill himself after his wife absconded with their two children over what he described as a minor misunderstanding.
Revealing what happened, the man said he had gone to work on Saturday, November 18, 2023, when his wife, Taye, left his house with two of their three children.
According to him, the woman also left with everything in the house, including a mattress, gas cylinder, kitchen utensils and others.
Recounting how he became heartbroken, Etiko stated that he decided to end it all by swallowing the substance on Monday, November 20.
The 57-year-old man explained that his first son with the estranged wife, Kehinde, was the one who came in when the poison was about to kill him.
His words: “I’ve been crying since all these days after my wife left me alone and went away with my two children. I didn’t fight her, but we were not talking for two weeks. I didn’t beat her. Though I used to beat her before, that stopped two years ago after the police warned the two of us to give peace a chance. Despite not talking to each other, I still took care of my responsibilities as a husband. I used to give her money to cook and she would ask the children to bring my food.
“We’ve been married for about 17 years now. She had been married to two men before I met her. I also had two women before her. But I’ve been with her alone for all these years, taking care of her and the children from her past marriages.
“What happened was that she went to her former husband to collect a sum of ₦10,000 without telling me. I got to know about it and I was angry. I told her that she was capable of killing me if she could hide something like that from me. That was all.
“On November 18, she packed everything and left. I am a hunter and security guard, but I provided for her needs. I used to pay for her hairdo and clothing. I always pay my children’s school fees; yet, this woman went away with everything in my house, including plates, knives, gas cylinder, mattress and others. I thought of everything and could no longer bear it, that’s why I ate poison on Friday, December 1.
“Our first son, who refused to go with his mother, was the one who rescued me. God only said I would not die. I started vomiting and stooling. My son rushed to get a bottle of palm oil, which I drank to reduce the impact of the poison. He called other family members around 5am and my house was crowded, but I didn’t allow them to take me to the hospital. Only God said I would not die.”
While noting that he still loves his estranged wife, the man said the incident is still affecting his mental health, saying he almost rammed into a truck while riding his motorcycle.