‘Bayelsa monkeypox suicide victim was father of three’

Family raises posers for hospital over his death

The Monkeypox victim who committed suicide at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH), Okolobiri in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has been identified as Mr. Perekebina Biu. Biu, who was receiving treatment in the isolation ward of the hospital, reportedly hanged himself with a rope.

The deceased, aged 30, was a father of three and hailed from Patani community in Delta State, but resided in Agbere town in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa. Until his death, Biu was the treasurer of the Agbere Youths Association and was already recovering from the disease he reportedly contracted in Yenagoa.

A community source, who did not want his name mentioned, lamented the incident, saying the hospital management had questions to answer with regard to how the victim got a rope with which he committed suicide. The suicide victim, according to sources, had no record of mental illness.

Also, some family sources accused the hospital management of negligence wondering how a patient in a quarantine centre could take his life easily without the knowledge of doctors and nurses.

When contacted on the allegation raised by the family concerning how Biu got a rope with which he killed himself, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu, said the question was curious. He said anybody who wished to commit suicide did not need to consult any person before carrying out such action.

“I want to tell you journalists that yes, you can speculate, you can ask question, the fact still remains that the man committed suicide. If he has any psychiatric decision and all that, it is just within him. If he has social, domestic problems or otherwise, it is just him and himself. The mind and the thought are his. If he wants to commit suicide, he will go and commit suicide no matter what you do unless you are there at the scene when he was committing suicide.”