POS operator attempts suicide over N1.7m debt

<p>A POS operator in the Adamawa State capital, Yola, Umar Usman, drank a locally made insecticide on Monday in a move to kill himself over a N1.7m debt.</p>, <p>Umar, who is from Yola South LGA, made the suicide attempt by drinking the local stuff called Otapiapia, at the Upper Area Court I in Yola where he was arraigned following a criminal complaint by his friend, Mustapha Baraya, over the money.</p>, <p>His friend, of the same community, sued him earlier this year, February 13, on charge of ‘criminal misappropriation and breach of trust’.</p>, <p>The history of the case has it that Baraya gave Umar N1.9 million to operate a POS business but he ‘misappropriated the money’, and refunded only N150,000.</p>, <p>Efforts by the complainant to recover the remaining N1.760m balance was not successful as Umar and his father kept deceiving him even after a judgment was delivered by the court.</p>, <p>The court had in the course of the case ordered him to refund the money, giving him one month within which to do so, but he failed.</p>, <p>He and his father told the court they had a rice farm which was ready for harvest, and that after the harvest they would refund the money, but they secretly harvested the crop without refunding the money.</p>, <p>The court then ordered that Umar’s house which was given to him by his father be disposed of.</p>, <p>Apparently dissatisfied with the order, Usman brought a bottle of the Otapiapia to the court at its sitting Monday, entered the Chamber of the Judge, Hon. Shehu Mustapha and emptied the substance in his mouth.</p>, <p>He fell down instantly, started vomiting and became unconscious, and was rushed to the hospital.</p>, <p>The police are yet to make an official statement on the incident.</p>