Boyi ThankGod, a Nigerian soldier assigned to the 35th Artillery Brigade in Alamala, Abeokuta, Ogun State, allegedly shot himself in the head and died immediately.
According to an Army source who requested anonymity, ThankGod committed suicide while on standby duty on Monday, which was also Armed Forces Remembrance Day in Nigeria.
The source, who stated that the tragedy occurred on Monday, January 15, underlined that an inquiry is underway to determine why the soldier killed himself.
Another source stated the late soldier grumbled about his underpaid allowances and displayed indications of melancholy before committing suicide on Monday.
He said, “The Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration, which took place on Monday, turned out to be a very unpleasant and sorrowful day for the 35 Artillery brigade, as a young soldier identified as Boyi Thankgod killed himself.
“He was attached to headquarters 35 Artillery Brigade Abeokuta, Ogun State, and was detailed for barracks standby duty at the brigade headquarters.”.
“He killed himself due to depression and low morale in the system.”.
“His friends said he already showed a loss of interest in the army job and complained of corruption in the military and low morale.”
“We are just waiting for the military police officers to conclude the investigation to determine what led to the incident,” he said.
At the time of filing this report, the spokesperson of the brigade, Mohammed Goni, could not be reached for comment.