Man Who Climbed and Threatened to Jump from Abuja Radio Mast, to Protest Economic Hardship, Arrested

A man who wanted to commit suicide, Monday morning, to protest the roiling economic hardship in the country by climbing the tallest radio mast in Abuja, is now cooling his feet in police custody.

Nigerians, indeed, residents of the nation’s capital, woke up, Monday morning, to behold the terrifying sight of the middle-aged man hanging precariously close to the peak of the mast, threatening to jump if the Tinubu Administration failed to restore fuel subsidy and resolve the economic hardship in Nigeria.

The Acting Director General of Federal Emergency Management Department (FEMD), Mrs. Florence Dawon Wenegieme, did a yeoman’s job trying to convince the man, Shuaibu Alhaji Yusuf, an indigene of Maiduguri, Borno State, to abort his plan and come down the Aso Radio broadcast mast at Katampe Hills, assuring that the federal government would address his demands.

After what looked like an eternity, and with people watching the development with bated breath, Yusuf reluctantly came down, and into the waiting arms of the police and other agencies of government. Journalists metaphorically fell on one another trying to capture the moment and interview the protesting Nigerian.

After speaking to journalists, the Police took the man into custody.

Before he embarked on the suicide mission, Yusuf had penned a note in which he made a nine-point demand from the Federal Government, including the restoration of fuel subsidy and an immediate end to insurgency in the Northeast and Northwest.

Yusuf’s redacted suicide note (adapted from a report in Thisday) reads:

“On behalf of fellow Nigerians, I demand the following: Government should return fuel subsidy. Government should declare state of emergency in Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger and Borno on unsecurity (sic) matters and take immediate action to clear those terrorism (sic) in the above listed state and the country at large.

“Government should open borders for food impartation (sic) in order to eradicate food shortages in the country.

“Government should immediately respond to the problem of out of school children which is increasing rapidly.

“These are the major Nigerians (sic) problems and I’m ready to sacrifice my life for the solutions to them.

“-I’m calling for(sic) fellow Nigerians to join me on this riot.”