In a tragic incident, Francis Dooga, a 72-year-old retired soldier, has reportedly taken his own life in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State.
The distressing event unfolded as Dooga allegedly hanged himself on a tree in his residence, situated opposite St. Joseph Catholic Church in Iniongun, a suburb of Makurdi, around 6:00 pm on Sunday, January 28, 2024.
According to an anonymous neighbor, known colloquially as ‘old soldier,’ Dooga made this drastic decision while his family members were away from home.
Some residents in the vicinity claimed that the late retiree had previously expressed concerns about facing hardship.
Additionally, it was revealed that the deceased had voiced grievances about one of his children consistently withdrawing his pension upon arrival, adding to the challenges. He had also raised concerns about not receiving his pension in a lump sum from the pension board.
“Before committing suicide, the man was always complaining of his Security Debartment 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.”
