The Lens of 2 Samuel 17:1-23 in Managing Suicide in Nigeria

Abstract

Although progress has been made in examining different aspects of suicide in Nigeria, literature has yet to adequately explore suicide from the Old Testament lens. In this study, we extended literature by examining 2 Samuel 17:1-23 and its relevance to the increasing suicide rate among Nigerians. In the pericope, Ahithophel committed suicide by hanging himself due to the physical, mental, and emotional challenges he found himself. All these challenges culminate in frustration. These reasons also seem to be factors that have sustained the suicide rate in Nigeria. The frustrated in Nigeria are in a desperate state of mind. They are prone to adopting wild and hasty strategies to address their challenges, which is taking their lives knowingly. Findings reveal that the motivating factors to the increasing state of suicide in Nigeria are frustration, poverty, family challenges, ego, emptiness, and traumatic events. People find it difficult to feed, find job, bear children, and endure intimidation and harassment, among others. People think that the shortest way of mitigating these anomalies is to kill oneself. The impacts include the fact that people bereaved by suicide committed by their relatives are also at an increased risk of suicide, depression, and psychiatric admission. Suicide leaves the family of the victim in poverty, especially if the person is the breadwinner of the family. It also makes the family of the person that committed suicide to feelisolated. The import of Ahithophel resort to suicide is believed to speak anew to the increasing suicide rates among Nigerians. The narrative analysis method was adopted in this study. As part of the recommendations, Ahithophel committed suicide because things he expected to work out for him failed to. In the same vein, Nigerians should not expect things to always work well for them. Also, there is also a need for faith-based collaborations in sensitizing youths on the dangers of committing suicide.