Edward Soje appeared rattling excited during the naming ceremony of his triplets, precisely ii weeks agone at a private hospital, inwards Abuja, according to those present. The children, all male, were born a calendar week earlier, Oct 7th, after twenty years of a childless marriage. They were named Elijah, Elisha in addition to Enoch.
Soje in addition to his married adult woman Grace wore matching clothe equally their well-wishers joined them on Oct 14th for the naming ceremony, their household unit of measurement friends told Daily Trust. However, ii days later, the constabulary constitute Edward Soje’s trunk dangling on a tree behind the Mammy Market at Maigumeri Barracks, inwards Lokoja.
Soje, 54, hailed from Ogori town inwards Ogori-Magongo Local Government Area of Kogi State, in addition to was a Grade Level xvi Officer with the Kogi State Teaching Service Commission. Revelations that he was owed eleven months salary yesteryear the Kogi State regime in addition to thence may have got taken his ain life because he couldn’t acquire by alongside the growing responsibilities, generated populace furore in addition to denial yesteryear the nation government. But findings showed he was having fiscal difficulties before his death.
Pastor Femi Adeoye, the couple’s pastor , told Daily Trust that Soje had approached him at the church building inwards Abuja for counseling from fourth dimension to fourth dimension to lament that he doesn’t desire to live on a burden to his wife, equally she had been helping him financially. “I recollect he kept telling me that ‘I honey my married adult woman in addition to I don’t desire to live on bothering her’ only I kept advising him that his married adult woman is non complaining, that she wants him to live on okay,” he said.
Asked if he was lavatory to what drove Soje to suicide, the priest said it came to him equally a shock. He added that Soje never discussed the facial expression of the nation regime owing him salary alongside him. “If he’d discussed that alongside me, I would have got counseled him to live on patient.”
Mr. Abarshi Yaro, who was besides introduce during the naming ceremony, said “He was cheerful, thence no-one imagined anything similar this would happen.”
At the fourth dimension of going to press, Mrs Grace Soje had non been told nearly her husband’s death. When Daily Trust visited the hospital where the adult woman in addition to children are on admission , relatives in addition to friends whispered in addition to went rattling faraway to mouth or mouth over anything nearly the result to ensure that she was non inwards the know.
The pastor said Mrs Soje had non been told nearly her husband’s decease in addition to her telephone had been switched off because doctors had advised them non to, in addition to that revealing the information could worsen the situation. “The infirmary is cooperating alongside us to hold this intelligence away from her for now,” he said, explaining that Mrs Soje who is inwards her belatedly 50’s was hypertensive. Also, 1 of the children has a malfunctioning organ which may probable live on operated on.
“We told her he’s been running to a greater extent than or less for coin to accept aid of the children,” he added.
Also When Daily Trust visited the hospital, solely Elijah in addition to Elisha were around, equally Enoch was taken to the National Hospital, Abuja. It was learnt that the mouth incurred yesteryear the household unit of measurement is N750, 000 in addition to is even thence growing.
Mr. Yaro said the adult woman in addition to her children are inwards dire postulate of support, in addition to enjoined organizations in addition to individuals to come upwardly to the aid of Mrs. Soje. “The family’s rent has expired, in addition to it’s a tight apartment.”
“The province has contributed some coin to assist her, in addition to the provincial pastor in addition to her married adult woman have got visited. The church building has besides given out her describe organisation human relationship exceptional openly for people who desire to assist,” Pastor Adeoye said.
According to the Kogi State Police Command Public Relation Officer, ASP William Aya, the Divisional Police Officer inwards accuse of Area D received information nearly the incident from the armed services intelligence business office inwards the barracks. “Police moved to the scene in addition to removed the corpse to the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre inwards Lokoja. There’s a rumour that the deceased left a suicide banknote only the constabulary has non recovered that yet.”
Aya said when the incident happened, at that spot was no 1 to position the corpse until terminal Fri (20th October) when some household unit of measurement members came. He added that the constabulary ascendance is on the investigation, in addition to volition ensure that the details of the autopsy are made public.
Late Soje’s elderberry blood brother Cornelius added: “He was the 1 who ordinarily prepared meals for his married adult woman after the delivery. Then the naming ceremony was scheduled for a Sabbatum after the delivery. On the rattling hateful solar daytime of the naming ceremony after they had concluded the ceremony, he left the married adult woman inwards the infirmary to their residence inwards Abuja.” He said Edward Soje’s married adult woman called him on Tuesday ( Oct 17th) at 6.30pm. “According to his wife, she said when it was fourth dimension for him (late Edward Soje) to convey the afternoon repast for her, they could non respect him. It was her (the wife’s) sis who went to the cafeteria to acquire nutrient for her. Then the sis afterward went habitation in addition to the landlady of their residence inwards Abuja gave her the theatre key, telling her that daddy (late Edward Soje) said he was going out.
“That he said that inwards representative if somebody comes inwards his absence, she should plow over the individual the telephone substitution to have got access to the house. This sis got habitation in addition to saw a banknote in addition to according to his wife, she told me inwards a telephone message that the sis came dorsum to study to her that my blood brother bought a cardboard in addition to wrote Psalm 121 in addition to prayed for her in addition to her children in addition to shut it alongside the word, “goodbye”.”
Cornelius said he left Okene where he is resident for Lokoja the next day, Midweek in addition to started calling relations, searching for him. “I never knew at that betoken that my blood brother was already lying inwards the mortuary.” He said he returned to Okene after a fruitless search solely to live on called yesteryear his nephew, a Civil Defence officeholder on Th of that same week, that 1 of his colleagues told him that he heard that somebody hung himself behind the novel Mammy Market. He in addition to then rushed downwardly to Army Barracks, in addition to was shown the moving-picture demo in addition to he confirmed it.
The elderberry Soje said he doesn’t non believe his blood brother died because he was non paid salary for long. “Even if he is non paid for ii years, he volition non kill himself,” he said.
The Kogi State Government inwards reply to Soje’s suicide denied owing him eleven months salaries. H5N1 press disputation issued yesteryear the State’s Head of Service, Deaconess Deborah Ogunmola, said: “He continued to have his salaries till December, 2016 fifty-fifty spell the Staff Screening in addition to Verification Exercise was ongoing. His pay was stopped after proof emerged that he falsified his historic menstruum records. His confession to the offence is on video. Following engagements alongside Labour which spanned several months, the Kogi State Governor magnanimously commuted the disciplinary action, yesteryear grant of pardon. Mr. Soje cruel into 1 of the categories. Pardoned staff were processed for reinstatement in addition to payment inwards batches. Mr. Soje was inwards the September 2017 batch in addition to he was aware of this fact.”
Daily Trust