An operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Osun State Command, attached to the Iwo Division, Mohammed Opatola, has reportedly died after suddenly taking ill at work on Monday.
His colleagues gave conflicting accounts of the events leading to his demise, while social media users speculated about the cause of death.
A viral post on WhatsApp suggested that Opatola collapsed immediately after receiving a salary alert for October, which, according to some accounts, did not include promotion arrears expected by NSCDC personnel.
However, his colleagues refuted the claim, stating that Opatola did not immediately slump after seeing his salary alert, but rather went about his duties before the illness struck.
One colleague, who preferred to remain anonymous, disclosed to The PUNCH, “We were all disappointed when we saw that the promotion arrears were missing from the salary. Opatola, like the rest of us, was disappointed but didn’t collapse immediately. He went back to his office and performed some tasks before he suddenly took ill.”
The source further explained, “He excused himself to the restroom, but after some time passed and he didn’t come out, we checked on him and found him unresponsive on the floor. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.”
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Another colleague speculated that Opatola may have suffered from high blood pressure following the alert, noting that employees from other agencies under the Ministry of Interior had received their arrears alongside the October salary, heightening NSCDC personnel’s hopes.
“He was visibly upset when he saw the alert. We all shared our frustrations, but it seems he took it harder,” the colleague added.
A third colleague mentioned that Opatola had been promoted and decorated with his new rank less than a week before his death, making the missing arrears even more disappointing for him.
“He was hale and hearty when he arrived on Monday. After receiving the alert, he appeared troubled and excused himself to the restroom, where he was later found unconscious,” the source said.
Efforts to get an official response from the Osun NSCDC Command were unsuccessful, as calls to the spokesperson, Kehinde Adeleke went unanswered, and a text message sent to her on Monday night remained unanswered as of Tuesday afternoon.
