A man whose identity has been withheld shot himself dead after a misunderstanding with his wife in Agor Magar Village in Lakes State’s Awerial County on Wednesday.
The police officer investigating the matter, who spoke to Radio Tamazuj on Thursday on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the press, said they are probing the deceased’s wife and other relatives to ascertain why he took his life.
For his part, Michael Awui, a resident of Agor Magar Village, attributed the unfortunate incident to domestic violence.
“The incident happened on Wednesday at 5 p.m. after the deceased husband quarreled with his wife. The cause was gender based violence,” he explained. “A police investigator was sent to the scene after relatives who were around called the police station in Awerial.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Laat Kon, a civil society activist and the coordinator of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) in Lakes State, said that they are aware of the case and that such occurrences have been on the rise in the state due to economic difficulties.
“Similar incidents have been happening across the state, whereby gender based violence is committed against men and women. Most of them are connected to frustrations because of economic hardships,” he explained. “There are too many misunderstandings in homes, and people do not take time to discuss problems amicably, and opt to take their lives. Gender based violence is now taking different dynamics, and now you see men are committing suicide, men killing women, and women are pouring hot water on men in homes.”
According to Laat, a few NGOs are trying to mitigate the situation and create awareness about gender based violence. Still, they cannot cover all the counties, and some have financial challenges.
“Some people also still hold on to negative cultural beliefs even if they have been sensitized about domestic violence and gender based violence,” he disclosed.