The Federal Capital Territory, FCT Police Command, has explained what it will do to Shuaibu Yusha’u, a 24-year-old man who was rescued from committing suicide in Abuja on Monday.
The spokesperson for the FCT Police Command Josephine Adeh said in a post on his X handle that Yusha’u will be sent for mental evaluation after which he will be prosecuted if he was found to be of stable mind.
She said the 24-year-old will be charged to court for attempted suicide, disturbance of public peace and incitement.
“We have sent Shuaibu Yushau, the man who climbed a broadcast mast yesterday to the Social Development Secretariat for mental evaluation. If found mentally stable after the test, he will be charged to court for attempted suicide, disturbance of public peace and incitement,” the FCT Police Command spokesperson said.
The 24-year-old indigene of Borno State had climbed a 120-meter mast at the top of Katampe hill, within the premises of Aso Radio and Television Services, along Murtala Mohammed Expressway, Abuja, and threatened to jump and kill himself.
Yusha’u, in his suicide note, said he wanted to kill himself to protest the hardship currently being suffered by Nigerians, as a result of some policies of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
He called for reversal fuel subsidy removal as he explained that the policy has plunged the country into economic chaos with attendant hardship, particularly among the poor and vulnerable in the society.
He also asked the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, Kaduna and Borno States over terrorist attacks and rising insecurity and to allow importation of food items to tackle food shortages as well as addressing the issue of out of school children.
He was however prevented from jumping to his death through the intervention of officials of Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Department (FEMD)
The acting Director-General of FEMD, Mrs Florence Wenegieme, who was at the scene, following a distress call about the incident, persuaded him to rescind his decision.
The visibly emotional Wenegieme counselled and persuaded Yusha’u for about an hour before he abandoned his self-annihilation mission and climbed down.
The other government agencies at the scene included the FCT Fire Service, National Emergency Management Agency, Social Development Secretariat, FCTA, Department of Reform Coordination, and Nigeria Police, among others.
Wenegieme advised aggrieved citizens against taking their lives just to draw the government’s attention to their plight, saying “there are better ways to approach the government with concerns and the responsible authorities would listen.
The director-general said, “Citizens can also approach social workers at
She called for patience, noting that the federal government was taking steps to address insecurity and food security concerns across the country.
“President Bola Tinubu is on top of the situation and rolling out interventions to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal through provision of palliatives and other incentives, as well as taking proactive steps to address insecurity.
“I am, therefore, encouraging aggrieved individuals not to take their lives but find a way to contribute to providing workable solutions to Nigeria’s problems,” she said.
She called for aggressive sensitisation campaigns by the National Orientation Agency, religious organisations and other relevant ministries, departments and agencies to encourage people to see the positive side of life and discourage them from opting for a suicide.
The director-general also underscored the need for desk officers at strategic locations where citizens can share their problems and solutions for the country.
