By Tony Adibe
A young architect, who graduated from the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, in Imo State, Mr. Chinechenwa Elemamba, alias Nerus, has reportedly taken his own life by hanging.
His body was found dangling in his room on Monday evening, in his village, Umuohii, Obaoma Autonomous Community, Ezinihitte-Mbaise LGA of Imo State. Reports said Nerus hanged himself several hours after he participated in the normal village manual labour involving the youths.
A source in the village who spoke to NewsBits on condition of anonymity, revealed that the deceased purportedly showed some strange behaviours before the day he committed suicide.
“Nerus was said to have, quite unlike him, told a certain woman off, when she tried to advise him against his sad mood. Nerus was heard telling the woman angrily that, in fact, he was feeling very sad… that he was feeling very unhappy now. The woman reportedly advised him to tell her the cause of his despondency so that the matter could be sorted. Nerus was said to have charged at the woman, warning her to go with her advice,” the villager said.
The native, who described Nerus as a “very high staker in the Bet9ja game”, claimed that Nerus at a point, used his certificate as a pawn in order to stake in Bet9ja. You can imagine someone who could take such decision without looking back. Sadly, that particular game failed him. I think he got himself heavily indebted but not everyone knew about these things,” said the source, adding: “Nerus, such a very brilliant promising young man got overwhelmed by heavy debts.”
But another source said: “Nerus first attempted to take his life by trying to drawn in the large borrow-pit very close to their house. When he was trying to survey the place, an old man suspected his movement and reportedly told him: my son, this one you are moving in a suspicious manner as if you want to fall into the borrow-pit; if you want to kill yourself, why must you drawn in the borrow pit?
“Nerus, apparently realizing that someone has seen him, he then quietly went into his room and hanged himself on one of the planks in the roof of their house. The ceiling got broken, and he tied the rope on the plank there,” revealed the source.
However, another indigene of the village, who also didn’t want his name disclosed, said that the graduate of Architecture did not show signs of depression before committing suicide.
The 30-year-old Nerus actively participated in village activities and cracked jokes with his peers as usual, according to the source, who neither corroborated nor contradicted the first version.
“No one knows for sure what prompted him to take his own life because he participated in the village manual labour in the morning. It is quite surprising that Nerus, who was hale and hearty, could hang himself just few hours after work,” the source said.
A youth leader in the village posted on the village platform thus: “Nerus Chinaechenwa Elemamba, second son of late Mr Cajethan Elemamba was yesterday evening found dead hanging himself in his own room. Nerus participated in the youth manual labor work yesterday morning looking very healthy before the unfortunate scenario occured.”
Yet another native of the village said the deceased neither left any note behind nor talked to anybody before taking his life. It was further gathered that Nerus was handling a building project for which certain materials including some bags of cement were supplied to the site, although “nobody saw him at the site after waiting for him till eternity. He studied architecture and he was handling a building project at the time of his death,” said a source.
NewsBits learnt that the incident, said to be the first of its kind in the known history of the village, has thrown the village into confusion and anxiety, adding that the real motive behind his action ought to be unravelled.
Meanwhile, Chinechenwa has been buried since yesterday (Tuesday) after a man was invited to “untie the corpse and bring it down the traditional way,” according to another source in the village.
It was further learnt that the traditional man advised villagers against taking the remains of Nerus to the morgue, insisting that “it’s an abomination.” Henry Okoye, Imo police spokesperson, said he had yet to be briefed on the development.
