A teenage boy identified as Tersoo Veregh was found hanging from the roof of his father’s house on Lorkyaako Street, in the High Level area of Makurdi, Benue State.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday, was reported by counterinsurgency expert Zagazola Makama via a post on X (formerly Twitter).
According to Makama, the boy’s father made the tragic discovery around 2 a.m., when he stepped out to relieve himself and found his son hanging inside the house.
Following the report, officers from the ‘B’ Division Police Station in Makurdi arrived at the scene, photographed the body, and transferred it to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital mortuary.
Confirming the development on Sunday, the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Udeme Edet, said investigations into the incident have commenced.
“We are aware of the case, and an investigation is currently ongoing,” Edet said in a phone interview.
This case adds to the increasing number of suicide incidents in Benue State and across Nigeria.
In July 2024, a 17-year-old student in Gboko was reported to have taken his life due to academic and social pressures.
Similarly, in 2023, a 14-year-old girl in the state allegedly committed suicide after being scolded over a suspected pregnancy.
There have also been reports of adults taking their own lives in Benue, including a 42-year-old traditional healer found hanging after being declared missing for days.
Experts have linked the growing rate of suicide in Nigeria to economic hardship, family disputes, and poor access to mental health care.
Psychiatrists have revealed that the absence of adequate social support systems continues to worsen the mental health crisis nationwide.