Boy, 12, allegedly commits suicide in Imo

Tragedy struck yesterday in Agboala Ishiala in Umudi autonomous community of Nkwerre Local Government Area of Imo State when a 12-year-old boy allegedly committed suicide. The boy, identified as Kasarachi Odurukwe, who was a primary six pupil of Practicing School, Umudi, was alleged to have taken his own life following the death of his parents. […]

Tragedy struck yesterday in Agboala Ishiala in Umudi autonomous community of Nkwerre Local Government Area of Imo State when a 12-year-old boy allegedly committed suicide.

The boy, identified as Kasarachi Odurukwe, who was a primary six pupil of Practicing School, Umudi, was alleged to have taken his own life following the death of his parents.

He allegedly hanged himself with the rope of an Indian bamboo tree.

It was gathered that the boy, who was the eldest among three siblings, was living with their mother’s sister in Agboala Ishiala with his siblings before the incident.

It was further gathered that the deceased had previously been telling his mates that he wanted to die and meet his mother in heaven, and was also said to have been complaining that the world had been cruel to him.

A day before the incident, Kasarachi was said to have asked his two siblings and two other kids to follow him to a nearby stream to fetch water.

However, on getting to the stream, Kasarachi was said to have assisted the other children to fill their buckets while he used a long stick to check the depth of the stream.

He was however said to have been unsatisfied with the depth of the water and thereafter took a rope which he tied to a bamboo tree.

After failing on his first and second attempts to kill himself, the other kids reportedly begged him to stop, but rejecting all entreaties, he was said to have tied the rope to a stronger bamboo tree which strangled him to death.

Seeing that Kasarachi had succeeded in hanging himself, the other kids reportedly ran back to report the incident to the family members and village elders, who thereafter called the police.

The police were said to have assisted them in bringing down the corpse and deposited same in the mortuary.

Among the items found on the deceased were four batteries, which some villagers presumed he might have intended to drink as poison if other alternatives failed him.

When our correspondent contacted the spokesman of the Imo State Police command, SP Orlando Ikeokwu, he promised to get through to the divisional police officer at Nkwerre, and get back but at the time of filing this report, he was yet to respond.