A 15-year-old boy in Delta State has died after allegedly ingesting multiple tablets of a prescription drug in a bid to gain weight, prompting fresh warnings from the police against drug misuse among youths.
The victim, identified simply as Gift, reportedly consumed several tablets of dexamethasone at once, a development that led to complications and his eventual death days later.
The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, disclosed the incident in a video shared on Thursday, describing the case as tragic and preventable.
According to him, the deceased obtained the drug from a friend, Destiny Akpofure, who allegedly convinced him that it could stimulate appetite and lead to weight gain.
Edafe explained that the teenager fell ill shortly after taking the substance but initially concealed the cause of his condition on the advice of the friend.
“A very sad case of a teenager who ingested several tablets of dexamethasone at once. He was told it would help him eat more and gain weight,” the police spokesman said.
“He became seriously ill days later and was discouraged from revealing what he had taken. He eventually died four days after.”
In his account, Akpofure said he had earlier obtained the drug from another acquaintance during a social gathering and had taken some tablets himself before handing them to the deceased.
He claimed that Gift, after inquiring about the drug, went ahead to ingest multiple tablets despite being cautioned.
The police said the victim only revealed the substance he had taken when his condition deteriorated significantly.
Edafe warned young people against the dangerous trend of self-medication and misuse of pharmaceutical drugs, stressing that such actions could have fatal consequences.
He added that the suspect would face prosecution in line with the law.