66-year old Lagos driver John Ekue hangs himself over unpaid five months salary arrears

LAGOS driver John Ekue has committed suicide by using a rope to hang himself by the rod of a ceiling fan in his apartment in the Maryland area of the metropolis in despondency after his employers refused to pay him his five month salary arrears.

 

Originally from Calabar in Cross River State, Mr Ekue, 66, live in the Mende neighbourhood of Maryland and worked as a driver for a paint company in Lagos State. Apparently, he had been facing tough times since April 2016, when his company stopped paying his salary and since then he stopped going out to work.

 

Mr Ekue, who earned N30,000 per month, reportedly became frustrated when feeding became difficult for him. His only son, identified simply as IK, a salesman, had been supporting him with his meagre wages.

 

Neighbour Simon Davies, said, “His son had gone to buy food for him that evening but when he returned, he saw his father’s body dangling from a rope and he raised the alarm. People went into the room to help rush him to a hospital but he died.

 

“The main cause of the incident is the non-payment of his salaries by a paint company he worked for as a driver. I learnt he earned N30,000 monthly and the company owed him five months’ salaries but he stopped going there in April when the arrears were not paid."

 

Another resident, who identified herself simply as Ruth, said the death of Mr Ekue’s wife two years ago compounded his frustration. She added that he had been lonely since his wife died and when he stopped going to work things got worse.

 

Lagos State Police Command spokeswoman Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the suicide, adding that Mr Ekue’s corpse had been deposited in a morgue for an autopsy. She added that detectives visited, examined and photographed the scene.