Francis Dooga, a 72-year-old retired soldier, is said to have killed himself in his property across from St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Nyiniongun, a suburb of Makurdi, the state capital of Benue.
On Sunday, it was reported that the deceased hanged himself from a tree at his home without leaving a message.
It was reported that the death of the elderly man left his neighbors perplexed as to what may have motivated him to do such a crime.
A resident of the area who did not want to be mentioned said none of the retired soldier’s family members was around when the man famously known as ‘Old soldier’ committed the suicide.
He said, “It was when one of the family members came in around 6:00 p.m. yesterday (Sunday) that he saw the body of the retiree dangling on a tree within the house that he raised the alarm.
“It was the alarm that drew the attention of neighbours to the house.
Another resident of the area who also pleaded anonymity explained that the ‘old soldier’ had earlier complained of hardship as a result of falling into the hands of people who allegedly defrauded him.
But none of the family members could volunteer information to journalists on the possible reason the retired soldier took his life.
When contacted, the state command spokesperson, SP Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident in a terse message, saying, ‘We have the report and investigation is ongoing.”
