Civil servant commits suicide over unpaid salary

A senior civil servant with the Ekiti State Government, Tope Afolayan, has committed suicide.
He was said to have killed himself over alleged unpaid salaries and his inability to pay his huge debts, a reliable source told the News Agency of Nigeria.
Afolayan, a native of Oye-Ekiti, the headquarters of Oye Local Government Area of the state, worked in the Office of the state Accountant-General.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Afolayan, a level 10 officer, who died on Thursday, was survived by a teacher wife and three children.
The source added that Afolayan was found hanging on the ceiling of his house, located on Peace Avenue, Olorunda, Ado-Ekiti.
The source said the deceased was a final year student of Law at the Ekiti State University and an interpreter in a branch of Christ Apostolic Church, Ekute area of Ado-Ekiti.
The source said Afolayan, who had been buried, did not leave any suicide note.
The source added that the deceased had consistently complained to friends about the non-payment of his accumulated salary arrears.
He was said to have attributed his inability to pay his debts and perform his financial responsibility for the upkeep of his immediate family on the non-payment of his salary.
The source said: “Although he didn’t leave any suicide note before hanging himself, he had been very moody and heartbroken for a couple of weeks before the incident happened.
“He had been complaining about the debts he owed, which he was unable to defray because of non-payment of the arrears of salaries.
‘’In fact, he was among the last batch of applicants for car loan given by government last year, but his name did not come out.
“We are shocked by Afolabi’s death because nobody thought he would go to that extent.
“We are still mourning his death.’’
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Alberto Adeyemi, confirmed the incident in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.
Adeyemi said that the incident was reported at New Iyin Road Police Station in Ado Ekiti.