Two die, two hospitalised after consuming drug in Ogun

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Two persons have reportedly died after allegedly consuming a substance believed to be “laughing gas”, a drug reportedly abused by some youths.

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The incident, which occurred in Isara Remo on Tuesday, involved four individuals, with two others said to have been hospitalised after the alleged consumption of the substance.

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The victims are alleged to be students of the Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade, Ogun State.

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A resident of the community, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity on Thursday, said the victims were believed to be students of the polytechnic.

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The resident said, “The incident actually happened on Tuesday. What we learnt was that the students were taking what they called laughing gas. Two of the students died as a result of taking the hard drugs while two others were hospitalised.”

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Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Police Command, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the command was investigating a suspected drug-related case in the area.

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Babaseyi, however, said the police had not confirmed whether the deceased were students of the institution.

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He said, “The Ogun State Police Command is investigating a suspected drug-related incident at Oke-Ola Phase II, Isara-Remo, where two persons were found dead and two others were hospitalised after allegedly consuming hard drugs.

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“The deceased have been deposited for autopsy, while the survivors are receiving medical treatment. Investigation is ongoing to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.

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“The Command warns against drug abuse and urges members of the public to avoid illicit substances.”

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Efforts to obtain comments from the management of Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade, were unsuccessful as calls to the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Folorunso Adedayo, were not answered, while messages sent via WhatsApp had not received a response as of the time of filing this report.

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Nitrous oxide popularly known as laughing gas is a medical anesthetic with legitimate uses but can be dangerous or even fatal when misused recreationally.

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