A woman, who identified herself as Kafayat Alake, yesterday attempted to commit suicide by jumping into Osun river from the Gbodofon bridge.
Some residents of the Gbodofon area said they sighted Alake from their homes loitering on the bridge and that after some time, she jumped into the river.
Some of the residents raised an alarm, which drew the attention of a man identified as David Johnson, who dived into the river and brought her out.
The residents called officials of the Osun State Fire Service, who arrived at the scene and took her to a hospital.
Johnson said, “we were somewhere around that place when the woman dropped from the bridge. Then people started shouting for help. That prompted me to dive in and rescue her.
“At first, we thought she was either pushed or fell over by mistake. But I was later told that she deliberately jumped into the river to kill herself.”
Our correspondent saw the woman sitting down at the river bank, looking dejected.
Alake said she hails from Alapaaro’s compound in Isale Osun, Osogbo, and has three children. She said she decided to commit suicide because of her financial predicament, adding that she lacked food to feed herself and her three children.
According to her, “Things are very hard. I have three children and I can’t cater for them. My husband stays in Lagos, but we separated about 13 years ago. I am frustrated.”
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer for Osun State Police Command, Yemisi Opalola, said, “it was an attempted suicide. She jumped into the Osun river. She was rescued. She has been taken to a hospital for treatment. She is suspected to be of unsound mind.”
