Oloibiri Community in Ogbia LGA of Bayelsa State was over the weekend thrown into mourning, as a farmer, who was also a hunter, reportedly killed himself with the Dane gun he used to hunt animals in the forest.
The locals told City & Crime that the middle-aged hunter, identified as Mr Claude Tonworio, was said to have killed himself with the gun he was hanging on his neck while trying to transfer his harvested farm produce with his canoe to the upland.
Tonworio, a father of six, who was also a civil servant, was said to have killed himself on August 26.
A family source told newsmen that the family suspected that the bullet exploded and shattered the head of the deceased.
She said: “The whole community is still in shock of his death. He is a civil servant but most weekends he comes to the village to stay with the family, and this Saturday was one of such. He left the family for the farm, with his tools and hunter gun to also hunt animals.
“He usually went in a canoe where he kept whatever was harvested. On Saturday; August 26, he went normal hunting while his family was waiting for his return. He actually came back and was trying to bring in the farm produce when we heard a loud sound. But we didn’t suspect something had gone wrong, until the time people went outside to discover that he was lying on the mud bleeding and struggling for survival.
“All attempts to rush him to the hospital were not successful, as he died on the way. The corpse was later taken to the water side for rituals as the custom demands.
“He must have slipped and fallen and the gun, which was loaded already, exploded. It’s a sad incident for the family. Who will take care of the six children he left behind?”
When contacted, the state police spokesman, SP Asinim Butswat, said the incident was yet to be reported to the police.
