An unidentified man has set himself ablaze in the Ojodu Phase 1 area of Lagos.
In the incident which occurred on Wednesday, the 20-ish man was seen complaining loudly and bitterly about the unbearable “suffering and smiling” syndrome in the country.
Armed with a lighter and gallon of petrol, the man reportedly told a gathered crowd that he would set himself ablaze.
While many thought the man was joking, he went ahead to carry out his threat of setting himself ablaze.
A witness identified as Ben Chinedu told Daily Sun, “I was (at the) Gate when I saw a crowd and I stopped to make enquiries. I saw a young man in his 20s; he was armed with a gallon of fuel. He was shouting on top of his voice saying that he was tired of life. He narrated how he had been running from one person to other for assistance and everyone was saying things were difficult. He told people who cared to listen that the country was under a spell that cannot be cleansed.
“He said there was no hope and future for the youth, he could no longer bear the ‘suffering-and-smiling’ syndrome and pretence showed by most people. He threatened to kill himself, but people thought he was making empty threats. He poured the liquid on his body and brought out a lighter. He ignited fire on his body and he was burning. We started pouring water on him, but the fire had done enough damage before we put it out. We called the police who came to the scene and picked the man who was unconscious by then. We don’t know the man and where he came from.”
The Lagos State Police Command spokesman, SP Chike Oti, reportedly confirmed the incident, adding that the victim was being treated at the Lagos State Emergency Centre.