A young lady, Amusa Rafiat, identified as the wife of Olalekan Odunare, a diploma holder who jumped into a lagoon at Epe in the Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State, says her husband had been suicidal for a long time and was vocal about it but no one took him seriously.
In a video shared online, Rafiat said Odunare’s attitude had suddenly changed but there was no proper monitoring and evaluation as everyone around him thought he was under the influence of hard drugs (Colorado).
Colorado is a street name for Synthetic Cannabinoid, a psychotropic drug currently trending among Nigerian youths. Some people also call it ‘Black Mamba,’ ‘Amsterdam Gold,’ ‘Devil’s Weed,’ ‘X,’ ‘Mary Joy,’ ‘Annihilation,’ ‘Tai High’ And ‘Hawaiian Haze.’
When asked if her husband used to take hard drugs, she said he only used to take Arizona. Arizona, which derives its name from a state in the United States of America, is a variant of marijuana, produced by putting the original cannabis through some chemical processes to distort its chemistry and ultimately imbue it with a stronger level of potency.
She, however, said the late Olalekan had not taken the drug for some time before he committed suicide.
She said, “My name is Amusa Rufiat from Oyo State but my parents reside here in Epe. My husband’s name is Abdulrahman Odunare Olamilekan.
He had been speaking of it (suicide) even for some days but he was not monitored properly. If he was, the case would not have been as bad as this. No one took him seriously. They all thought he was under the influence of Colorado (hard drugs), so they didn’t even evaluate what he was saying. He didn’t take Colorado but he used to take Arizona but it had been a long he took Arizona.
Since the incident, I have not seen anyone from my husband’s family. I have only seen people from my family and I have no friends but whatever anyone has to give will go a long way. Like what he said before he died, that I shouldn’t allow his daughter to suffer. I plead with all Nigerians to help me.”
News360 Info had earlier reported that Olalekan jumped of Berger Bridge into the lagoon.
A voice in the video is heard asking Olalekan what was wrong with him, but soon after, he jumped to his death.
It was later learned that the deceased, who left a one-year-old baby behind, had told his father, Odunare, in the early hours of Tuesday to pray for him.
“He also told his girlfriend who is 19 years old to take care of his baby.
Thereafter, he left to (go to) the bridge side to commit suicide by jumping inside the creek, without giving any reason for such action to his family,” a source close to the family had said.
Olalekan was said to be a holder of an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) certificate and a worker at Alaro City, a mega estate along the Lekki-Epe Expressway.
