The Lagos Police Command has stopped a 59-year-old man attempting to commit suicide on the third mainland bridge in the state.
The man, identified as Yemi, was said to have stood on the bridge railing before the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) bike riders, a police formation in the state, stopped him.
As gathered, the RRS patrol team discovered Yemi, a resident of Ilasa, at about 12:00pm on Friday while attempting to jump from the bridge into the lagoon.
The Commander RRS, CSP Shola Jejeloye, who confirmed the development, persuaded the man, who claimed to be overwhelmed by economic challenges, to give life another try.
After counseling Yemi, the RRS boss ordered that the suspect be kept in protective custody pending the arrival of his family members.
According to the statement, “At about 1200hrs today, Rapid Response Squad (RRS) bike riders on routine patrol on the Third Mainland Bridge prevented a man from jumping into the lagoon.
“The man, one Yemi, aged 59 of Ilasa, Lagos stated that he was overwhelmed by challenges”.
This came barely two weeks after the a 65-year-old visually impaired man, Ewenla Adetomiwa, was rescued after attempting to commit suicide by jumping into the lagoon along the Third Mainland Bridge.
The spokesperson for the state Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, narrated that the victim had brought his two children to the Third Mainland Bridge, planning to end his life, believing that the government would care for them after his death.
However, passersby, realising the man’s intentions, intervened and stopped him before he could jump into the lagoon.
Hundeyin stated, “There was a distress call that a man with his two children attempted to commit suicide by trying to jump into the lagoon on the third mainland bridge in the state.
“He was prevented by a good Samaritan who alerted the police through the control room. Upon the receipt of the information, a team of policemen was sent to the scene where the victim, who lived in Ikorodu, and his two children were seen on the bridge.
“The victim and his 16-year-old girl and 12-year-old boy were taken to the station. During interrogation, the man admitted that he intended to commit suicide to enable the government to take charge of his children’s wellbeing if he had succeeded.”
Similarly, the command’s spokesperson added that on August 30, 2024, an 18-year-old boy named Elijah, believed to be mentally unstable, was also rescued from attempting to jump into the same lagoon.
The police promptly contacted the victim’s family and later handed him over to their care.
