Tragedy struck on Saturday at the Wawa Military Cantonment in New Bussa, Niger State, when a soldier, identified as Lance Corporal Femi Akinleye, shot his wife dead before turning the gun on himself.
It was gathered that the incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. inside the couple’s residence at Block 15, Room 24, of the 221 Battalion, Wawa Cantonment.
It was gathered that the soldier, who was on barracks duty at the time, allegedly used his service rifle to kill his wife, Blessing, before committing suicide.
The signal read in part:“At about 111130A Oct 25, 18NA/77/1173 LCpl Akinleye Femi, personnel of 221 Battalion, Wawa Cantonment, who was on barracks duty, was reported to have committed suicide after killing his wife, Blessing, inside their apartment.
The remains of both have been deposited at the Military Reference Hospital, while investigation is ongoing to ascertain the cause of the incident.”
The cause of Akinleye’s action remains unclear, though the development has once again raised concerns over the mental health of Nigerian military personnel deployed to combat insurgency and banditry across the country.
Wawa Cantonment, located in Kainji, has long been notorious for housing hundreds of Boko Haram suspects arrested during Nigeria’s prolonged war against terrorism.
Military insiders who spoke to PLATFORM TIMES under condition of anonymity said cases of suicide among personnel have been on the rise in recent years, attributing the trend to stress, poor welfare, and lack of psychological support for soldiers.
“Some of us are struggling silently,” one officer confided. “We are overstretched, underpaid, and hardly rotated. Many soldiers suffer from depression and post-traumatic stress, but the system doesn’t care.”
In recent years, several incidents of suicide involving Nigerian military personnel have been reported across the country.
In November 2023, a Nigerian Army captain, Alphonsus Alexander Kalthy Bazza, took his own life in Akwa Ibom State after allegedly clashing with his superior over welfare funds.
Earlier in June 2023, a female Master Warrant Officer of the Nigerian Air Force, simply identified as George, was found dead in her apartment at the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja, Lagos, in what authorities described as a case of suicide.
In March 2021, a soldier, Bello Useni, attached to the Nigerian Army School of Armour in Bauchi, also ended his life, while in 2020, a Lance Corporal with the 27 Task Force Brigade in Yobe State took his own life while on duty.
Security analysts have repeatedly called on the military authorities to strengthen mental health support systems and improve soldiers’ welfare to prevent further tragedies.
Efforts to reach the Nigerian Army spokesperson, Maj.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
Source : Sahara Reporters
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