A Lagos tenant in his mid-30s, popularly identified as Baale or Radical, has reportedly committed suicide after he was issued a quit notice from his apartment for not being able to pay his annual rent of N35,000 increased to N60,000.
It was gathered that Baale, who lived in a room on Moshalashi Road, Egan, in the Igando area of Lagos State, died on Sunday night after drinking a poisonous substance suspected to be an insecticide.
On Monday, a source who spoke to newsmen on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter said the deceased had reportedly told his wife that she would soon cry because of his inability to pay for their house rent.
The source said: “He had had an altercation with his wife after his landlord issued a quit notice to him for not meeting up with the increased rent of N60,000 for their one-room apartment.
“The rent was initially N35,000, and he struggled to pay it. This made him tell his wife that he may lose him soon as pressure is mounting up for him already.
“He came home from Iba yesterday where he went to chill with his friends only for him to call a young man (name withheld) he would commit suicide with the bottle of insecticide he was holding. The young man immediately ran to his wife after luring him to stop, and they all called for help.
“Before they could return to where he was, he had already taken the substance and was given antidotes to make sure that he was stable and taken to hospital for proper treatment.
“They got a bus and when they got to the hospital at 11 pm, he was confirmed dead.”
The deceased left four children and his wife behind.