By Deborah Nnamdi
A 31-year-old man, Abdullateef Seriki-Sanma, has died after jumping into a surface well early Sunday morning at Bolarinwa Compound in the Centre Igboro area of Ilorin, Kwara State.
Abdullateef, said to be under the influence of banned substances, was the only surviving child of the late Madam Idiah, who had lost her other two children before this incident.
Family members told reporters that the deceased jumped into the well at about 4:00 a.m. A relative said they had noticed unusual behaviour in him for days and feared he might attempt suicide.
“We started noticing strange behaviour in him last week. His mother’s younger sister even came from her matrimonial home to stay with him out of concern,” a family member said. “We monitored him throughout yesterday because we were convinced he was planning to commit suicide.”
Another family source said Abdullateef had recently suffered financial losses and may have resorted to unfamiliar drugs. Despite the family’s close watch, he managed to carry out the act while others were asleep.
The family said they made desperate attempts to rescue him. “We threw in ladders for him to climb out and ropes so we could pull him out, but he didn’t respond. There was no reaction from inside the well,” a relative recounted. They eventually called the fire service for help.
The spokesman of the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, confirmed the incident, stating that firefighters received a distress call at about 4:33 a.m. on Sunday.
“Upon arrival, firefighters discovered that a 31-year-old man named Abdullateef had deliberately jumped into a domestic well,” he said. “Findings revealed he had been making repeated attempts since the previous day, expressing intentions of taking his own life. Sadly, he made the final attempt while other occupants were asleep, leaving no one available to intervene.”
Adekunle added that the man was brought out of the well dead.
