A 15-year-old boy identified as Gift has died after reportedly suffering complications linked to a drug overdose taken in a bid to gain weight.
The spokesperson of the Delta State Police Command, Bright Edafe, revealed the incident in an interrogation video shared on X, explaining that the teenager consumed several tablets of dexamethasone allegedly given to him by his friend, Destiny Akpofure, who told him it could help him add weight.
According to Edafe, Gift became ill a few days after taking the drug and eventually died from the complications.
“A very sad case of a 15-year-old who took sachets of dexamethasone tablets and swallowed several tablets at once.
“Asked why they were taking the drug, his friend, from whom he got it, said they were taking the drug to make them gain weight and eat more.
“The boy fell sick days later and was told by the suspect not to disclose that he had taken an overdose. He died four days later.”
Akpofure recounted that he got the drug from another individual at a party after asking for something that could help him gain weight. He said he was told the medication would increase appetite, induce sleep, and lead to weight gain, and that he had taken some tablets himself before giving it to Gift.
He said, “I collected the drug from a friend at a party. I asked him to introduce me to a medicine that would make me gain weight, and he gave me the drug, saying it would make me eat, sleep, and get fat. I took four tablets.
“I was pressing my phone when my friend (Gift) asked to see the drug. He said he was not going to take it, but after a while, I saw him put many tablets in his mouth and chew them.
“I asked why he was taking it and told him that even if he wanted to take it, that was not the right way,” he said.
Edafe added that the teenager only admitted to taking the drug on the fourth day when his condition worsened. He cautioned against drug misuse and confirmed that Akpofure would face prosecution in line with the law.
