Suspected Mentally-ill Woman Jumps Into River, Dies In Ekiti

A woman suspected to be mentally-deranged has drowned in a river in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

The yet-to-be-identified middle-aged woman was said to have jumped into a deep river located on Akin Akeju street, opposite Ekiti State Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) Ado Ekiti.

The incident, it was gathered, occurred on Sunday when the woman was sent on an errand from a traditional healing home where she was receiving treatment for mental illness.

Residents of the area described the action of the deceased as suicide as she deliberately threw herself into the river.

A source close to the area said that the woman had earlier made attempt to jump into the river but was stopped from doing so.

The source said, “Despite various efforts to prevent the woman from taking to her own life, she returned to the river after being stopped by passersby earlier in the day and ultimately jumped into it”.

Another account said, “The deceased is one of the patients at a nearby traditional healing home for individuals with mental illness. She might have been sent on an errand after showing signs of recovery”.

The body of the woman has since been recovered from the river after people in the area contacted the security agents.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Sunday Abutu did not respond to several calls made to him.