Date: 2019-08-09

Dr Yusuf Abdulraheem, the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Yusjib Industrial Medicare, Ilorin, says it took the hospital several hours of intensive care to resuscitate two patients who ingested snipper on Wednesday.

Dr Abdulraheem told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Thursday that the first case was that of a woman, which was reported to his office at about 5:00 a.m.

He said that the woman drank the banned substance because of alleged infidelity by her husband.

The CMD said when the husband saw his wife drinking the Snipper, he quickly hit her hand away from her mouth, spilling the remaining content on him.

"When they came to the hospital, the odour of the substance was all over the husband.

"We placed her on observation for six hours and we ensured that she was free of the agent before we discharged her," Abdulraheem said.

The CMD said another case was more serious than the first one when the matter was reported to the hospital around 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

He said it took him and his team no fewer than 12 hours to resuscitate a 27-year-old man, who he simply identified as Seyi.

He said when the patient was brought to the hospital, he was almost lifeless, gasping for breath.

Abdulraheem said the team did all it could to flush out the poison from his system.

"I was told that he locked himself in a room where he took the content.

"What the family told me was that there was an issue between him and his mother.

"Seyi's mother told me that they had an issue long time ago which has been resolved.

"She said that he (Seyi), went to a vigil on Tuesday where he was told that he has offended his mother and must go and seek for forgiveness.

"The mother told me that Seyi sent him a text earlier on Wednesday that what is life without the mother's love" and went to lock himself up in a room.

"At that point, they became suspicious of what he might be up to, so they went to see him in the room but saw him running out of the room, and trying to jump the fence after drinking the snipper.

"The effect of the snipper was already telling on him after trying to jump the fence and fell; he was then rushed to the hospital," Abdulraheem said.

The CMD called on the Federal Government to go beyond banning the product but to enforce the non availability of the substance to the public.

Abdulraheem said before Seyi would be discharged, he would need a behavioural scientist to ascertain what the problem was because he might still be up to something. (NAN)