Fears heighten as 30-year-old man dies of drug overdose in Bayelsa

There is rising fear among residents of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, following the reported death of 30-year-old Daniel Celestine, a laundry owner, over a suspected drug overdose.

It wsa learnt that the deceased, an indigene of Akwa Ibom State, residing along Opili Plaza Road by Azikoro area, was reported to have attended a birthday party at an undisclosed location with friends and ate food purportedly laced with “Colors” also known as Colorado.

It was recently reported that the latest death from drug overdose was a 300 level student of Petroleum and Gas Engineering at the Federal University, Otuoke in the state.

There is rising fear among residents of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, following the reported death of 30-year-old Daniel Celestine, a laundry owner, over a suspected drug overdose.

It was also learnt that the deceased, an indigene of Akwa Ibom State, residing along Opili Plaza Road by Azikoro area, was reported to have attended a birthday party at an undisclosed location with friends and ate food purportedly laced with “Colors” also known as Colorado.

It was also recently reported that the latest death from drug overdose was a 300 level student of Petroleum and Gas Engineering at the Federal University, Otuoke in the state.

Also reported to have died from drug overdose was a 200 level student of the same university identified as Bright Akhere, at a swimming pool located at the Renew Empire Hotel Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area of the state.

The reoccurring incident has triggered concern over the high rate of students’ involvement in drugs and internet fraud.

According to Celestine’s siblings and friends, the deceased attended the mysterious party on Sunday, April 30, 2023, and came back home behaving like a mentally derailed person.

“All attempts to calm him down failed. He told us that he ate food mixed with drugs. Anyone that tried to hold him down was attacked,” a source said.

The close source, named Matthew, said that neighbours and friends rushed him to a nearby hospital known as Ripples, and he later became calm after he was injected. Later, we saw him restricted with leg chains, claiming that he had relapsed and become violent.”

It was gathered that the family was later informed that he died in his sleep.

Attempts to get the reaction of his family were, however, futile, as his corpse was reported to have been taken to Uyo, Akwa Ibom.

Already, some residents of the state capital are calling on the authorities of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, and the Bayelsa State Police Command, to rise up to their responsibility and investigate the source of the killing drugs known as “Colors”.

A trader, Madam Chiameka Gordon, told our correspondent that parents and guardians should educate their wards on the new danger of drug abuse. “These NDLEA personnel should stop engaging in illegality and condoning drug peddling instead of tackling it.”