Tragedy struck in the Edun area of Ilorin West Local Government, Kwara State, as a 43-year-old man, simply identified as Kareem, lost his life after jumping into a well reportedly under the influence of a synthetic drug known locally as ‘Colorado’.
The incident occurred shortly after Kareem returned from Eid-el-Kabir prayers on Friday.
According to eyewitnesses, he had shown signs of instability and was believed to be under the influence of the hard substance before he suddenly jumped into a well located at Ile Alapo, Edun.
The Kwara State Fire Service responded promptly to the scene following a distress call made at around 10:29 am on Saturday.
In a statement issued by the Head of Media and Publicity of the State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, the service confirmed the recovery of the deceased’s body.
According to the statement, “The distress call was received by the Fire Service control room at about 10:29 hours, reporting that a man had fallen into a well,”
Adekunle stated that the firefighters acted swiftly and successfully recovered the lifeless body.
He added, “The victim, identified as Kazeem, reportedly jumped into the well under the influence of a hard substance known as Colo (Colorado) shortly after returning from Eid prayers.
The body was handed over to Inspector Babatunde Amos of the C Division Police Station, Ilorin.
The Ministry awaits formal identification and claim of the body by the victim’s family.”
Efforts to get a comment from the Police Public Relations Officer of the Kwara State Command, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, were unsuccessful as she did not respond to calls or WhatsApp messages at the time of filing this report.
Reacting to the incident, the Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Falade Olumuyiwa, expressed deep sadness and called on residents to avoid drug abuse.
He warned that the consequences of such substances could be devastating, urging citizens to prioritize their well-being and mental health.