….takes her to psychiatric hospital

By Ike Uchechukwu, Calabar

A driver, Mr Kingsley Benson, has saved a female passenger from committing suicide in Calabar, the Cross River state capital.

The driver who spoke with Vanguard shortly after checking in his passenger into Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Calabar Road on Monday said the female passenger (names withheld) made a cryptic statement that unsettled him when he picked her up at Bogobiri area of the city.

His words:” A lady girl requested a ride from Bogobiri this morning, I observed she was looking really sad. I tried to at least start a conversation, but she just gave a “fake” smile, and requested I turn on my air conditioner.

“Her request was what got me worried because she said “Driver please turn your air-conditioner, let me enjoy this last one. Although I ignored her first statement, before we got to her destination at Edgerly in Calabar South, the statement came up again.

“Then my instincts made me take a closer look at the nylon bag that she was with, although not transparent enough, it had the shape of this sniper container.

“That was when I knew something was wrong. It then dawned on me that she wanted to commit suicide, and I started thinking of what to do to help her.

“I knew there wasn’t time to start talking, so I told her I needed to make a quick stop at Watt market and she agreed, I thought of driving to Atakpa police station but I changed my mind because something told me that Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital would be the best place to make a stopover.

“As I entered Calabar road, I told her I needed to buy fuel because the hospital also has a filling station, immediately I drove into the premises, I went straight to report what I observed. I told them I was a bolt driver and explained my observation.

“Immediately, they took her into their facility and checked her bag, they discovered she had sniper and said she wanted to end it all when I dropped her at home. They asked me to leave and took her details, I believe she will be talked out of the situation,” he said.

Efforts to reach the Hospital Management proved abortive, but a source who pleaded anonymity confirmed the incident to Vanguard noting that relations of the girl have been contacted.