A lottery operator, identified simply as Baba Pool, on Thursday committed suicide over his alleged failure to pay some of his customers their winnings.
The deceased hanged himself inside his shop in Kayode Market, Abule Ijesha, in the Sabo area of Lagos State. The deceased, in a suicide note, blamed two people for his death.
He wrote, “For your information, Bourney and Osuma. Two of them kill me. A killer must surely die.”
Our correspondent learnt that the deceased pasted the note at three strategic places in the market before he took his own life.
According to the Iyaloja of the market, Aderemi Thomas, the accused persons played lottery in the deceased’s shop, but after winning, they could not get their money.
She said, “I was called around 8am to come to the market because Baba Pool had committed suicide. I called the owner of the shop to join me in the market, but he said he was far away.
“When I got to the market, I was told what happened and not long after, the police came to interrogate us and we took them to the scene.
“I learnt that Bonny and Osuma came to play lottery in his shop, but he did not submit their tickets to the lottery office. So, when those people realised that they had won, they asked for their money. Instead of explaining to them that he did not submit their tickets, he committed suicide.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, who confirmed the incident, said the two accused persons had been arrested for questioning.