A 72 year old retired soldier identified as Francis Dooga reportedly commits suicide in Makurdi, Benue state.
A 72-year-old retired soldier identified as Francis Dooga has reportedly committed suicide in Makurdi, Benue State capital.
The sad incident happened on Sunday, January 28th, 2024, at about 6:00 pm in his residence opposite St. Joseph Catholic Church in Iniongun.
According to one of his neighbour who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that Dooga, popularly known as ‘old soldier,’ decided to kill himself while his family members were away from home.
The elderly man was found hanging from a tree in his compound.
Residents are of the opinion that Dooga was grappling with economic hardship in the days leading up to the unfortunate incident.
Allegedly, he had always expressed his dissatisfaction with the manner in which his pension was being disbursed.
Specifically, he had voiced concerns about his Security Department Allowance (SDA), which was released by the Federal Government to the Defence Headquarters and subsequently to the military pension board.
He reportedly lamented that, unlike their junior counterparts, his pension was being distributed to him in meager installments rather than in a bulk monthly payment.
“Before committing suicide, the man was always complaining of his Security Department Allowance (SDA) which was released by the Federal Government to the Defence Headquarters, which was in turn released to the military pension board,” a resident said.
“He said the pension was being released to them meagerly instead of in bulk monthly like their junior ones, resulting to abject poverty and abandonment by his family members.”