As words filtered in that uche okafor had died by hanging himself, what came to my mind like many others is why a young man who seems to be having everything going on well for him will simply end his own life. In case you don’t know uche okafor, he was a Nigerian ex- footballer who after retiring from the game of football took up coaching in the US. He was also a regular pundit on African football on ESPN. In fact, he just signed a new deal with ESPN thought to be lucrative.
However, okafor’s body was discovered hanging in his house by his wife. His death was ruled as suicide. But why would okafor commit suicide? After all, friends and close associates claim uche showed no sign of suicide or unhappiness.
Let’s face it; suicide usually is a product of various factors including depression. Depression can cause despair and if prolonged might make the sufferer feel the only way out is putting an end to the misery he is experiencing by ending his life. Sometimes it might be quite difficult to know that someone is suffering from depression or having suicidal thoughts. This is because sufferers do not always openly discuss their predicaments. They prefer to make it a secret. So what if uche or someone you know have been having suicidal thoughts and prefer not to express it openly? Chances are high that they will end up doing the ultimate; taking suicide!
Reflect on the following questions and try to identify possible causes of uche okafor’s actions; is uche suffering from depression? Was he suffering from a chronic or life threatening terminal or physical illness that made him depressed? Does he have sleep disturbances or his unable to sleep? Does he have low sex desire? Does he talks about suicide? Does he lack appetite to eat? Does he limit his association with friends and relatives? Did he unexpectedly give out some of his possessions? was he always stressed out? If uche did experience any of the signs described in the questions above, chances are that he died of suicide.
Indeed you will have noticed that there are many possible reasons to suspect the young man committed suicide. Suicide is not as fictional as we think it is. It is real and is a global problem. But the good thing is that it can be prevented!
