A viewing centre in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, was on Sunday thrown into confusion as a football fan slumped while watching the Super Eagles game against the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire at the ongoing African Nations Cup in South Africa.
Moshood Owolabi, who was identified as an engineer with the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Works in Abeokuta, later died on the way to hospital.
Owolabi was buried on Monday.
It was gathered that the engineer collapsed when a goal-bound shot from Nigerian player, Victor Moses, was deflected by an Ivorian defender.
Though the Super Eagles eventually won the match by 2-1, Owolabi could not partake in the celebration.
He was already dead before the end of the game.
Eyewitnesses said the deceased was rushed to a private hospital, Success Medical Clinic, following his collapse at Promise Stadium, a viewing centre located at Lanlepe compound, Oke-Sokori.
The fan, who was in his early 40s, was allegedly given a first aid and referred to another hospital, First Alpha.
He, however, gave up the ghost on the way to the referred hospital.
A neighbour of the deceased, Taiwo Adebayo, who was also at the viewing centre when the incident happened, disclosed that Owolabi fell on the ground and started foaming in his mouth.
Adebayo said the deceased was taken to the hospital alive but unfortunately there was no doctor to attend to him.
He said, “We were together when the match started.
“When Moses played a shot on target and it was deflected off by an opponent, it was that time that he fell on someone’s laps as is if he suffered from cardiac arrest and he started foaming.
“I grabbed him immediately and rushed him to the hospital.
“When we got to Success Hospital, the doctor was not available and the nurses tried and gave him first aid.
“Then he was still breathing.
“When the doctor came, he checked him and immediately referred him to another hospital (First Alpha).
“On the way going, the gear of the vehicle got damaged and we secured a taxi after some minutes.
“When we got to the hospital, the doctor confirmed him dead.
“We went to his father at Kugba area in Abeokuta and the man gave a go ahead for his burial.”
Adebayo described the late engineer as a jovial and friendly person.
Fielding questions from reporters, the Medical Director of Success Medical Clinic, Dr. Sulaiman Kolawole, claimed that Owolabi was already dead before he was brought to the clinic and that all effort to rescue him proved abortive.
Kolawole said the incident was as a result of excessive intake of carbondioxide, which was persistent for a longer period of time before resulting to what he called anoxia.
He said: “Immediately the man was brought, he was brought dead.
“From what I learnt, I was told by a close friend that he had a fatal accident about two months ago and he was treated and managed.”
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