For residents of Odo Ayedun Ekiti, a sleepy community in Ikole Local Government of Ekiti State, it was common knowledge that one of their own, Dele Ibitoye, consumed alcohol habitually, and had become a brewer’s horse of sorts.
But they least expected his indulgence would slide into a befuddled state, where he would be unable to differentiate an herbicide from alcoholic drink.
On Friday, July 17, suspense pervaded the community as the news broke that the 50-year-old man, who was hale and hearty the previous day, had been rushed to the state Specialist Hospital, Ikole Ekiti, in a critical condition.
In droves, members of the community raced to the hospital to ascertain his situation. On their arrival, they were bemused on hearing that Ibitoye, who resided at Oke-Lase street, had mistakenly drunk an herbicide in the early hours of the morning, thinking it was alcoholic.
Two days later, precisely on Sunday, July 19, he passed on after doctors battled unsuccessfully to save him, leaving his family and inhabitants of the community mystified.
Scudnews learnt that detectives at the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ekiti State police command are puzzling over the circumstances of the incident, following a report lodged at a police station at about 7.am on July 17, by a relative of the deceased, Odunayo Akinola.
In a telephone interview on Saturday, Abutu Sunday, an Assistant Superintendent of Police and spokesperson for the Ekiti State police command promised to avail Scudnews on further details when contacted on the incident. “Please I am driving right now that we are talking; when I arrive my destination, I will make necessary contacts and get back to you with an update”.
He had yet to get back at the time of filing this report on Sunday.
