He Didn’t Kill Himself – Family Reveals Cause Of Anambra Pastor’s Death
The family members of Mr. Prosper Igboke, the clergyman previously reported to have died by suicide due to being rejected by his girlfriend whom he had supported through university, have stepped forward to refute the circulating news.
Recalling the initial report that Igboke took his own life by jumping from a two-story building in Nnewi, Anambra State, a relative of the deceased spoke to the media, asserting on Saturday that the 30-year-old man from Leru community in Umunneochi Local Government Area, Abia State, had assisted his girlfriend with her education, only to be declined when he proposed marriage.
However, a maternal cousin of the late Prosper named Promise Ikpe took to his Facebook page to disprove the narrative and reveal the real circumstances surrounding his death. Ikpe clarified that Igboke didn’t die by suicide and wasn’t spurned by his girlfriend.
Ikpe explained that though Igboke had jumped from a two-story building, it wasn’t a deliberate attempt at ending his life. He disclosed that Igboke had been grappling with mental health challenges, which emerged suddenly. Thus, the circumstances leading to his death were not within his control. Ikpe also stated that the girlfriend had spoken with Igboke’s mother, asserting that she hadn’t betrayed him.
Ikpe, who is connected to Prosper’s family, provided more accurate details: “I did this post to correct some of the false narratives flying around. Prosper went for a ministration in Nnewi, and when he came back, he had lost his senses, he wasn’t mentally co-ordinated. No one knew why.
His pastor locked him up and asked some people to watch over him while he went to a meeting instead of taking him to a hospital to find out why he wasn’t mentally co-ordinated. Prosper jumped from the window of the room he was locked in.
His pastor refused to give us his phone for us to investigate what happened to date. The pastor said Prosper had gifted him the phone.”
Chikwendu Anugba, another cousin of the deceased, and a writer, also took to his Facebook page to invalidate the report.
Anugba stated, “Blogs went to market with the story that Obum committed suicide because he was jilted by his girlfriend who he trained in the university.
I was wondering when he became rich and we didn’t know. Because the story did fit into certain narratives, the agendaists picked it up and ran without looking back. They said he committed suicide because of heartbreak. Meanwhile, the poor girl they maligned stood with the family in the time of grief.
He was buried in our farmlands not because he committed suicide. But because in our tradition, it’s seen as an abomination for parents to bury their children.
It is the duty of children to bury their parents. When a single man or woman dies, the corpse is buried far from the village so the grave won’t be a source of grief for his parents
