Embattled cancer patient, Mayowa Ahmed, is dead and this is authoritative. She died yesterday afternoon in a hospital in South Africa after battling ovarian cancer for a while.
Mayowa’s ailment generated several controversies following a report in the media that millions of naira raised for her treatment were on the verge of being swindled by some elements in her family.
The police in Lagos, which got wind of the alleged foul play, commenced investigation into the said scam as regards the appeal fund raised for the patient at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State command, Fatai Owoseni, had invited the founder of Lifestake Foundation, Ms Aramide Kasumu, and two of Mayowa’s relatives, Mr. Iwaloye Seun and Mrs. Zaneen Ahmed, to assist in the investigation.
A statement issued then by the Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police Command, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent of Police, also said the the Access Bank account opened for the fund raising as well as the management of the GoFundMe account were being investigated.
Trouble had started when Mayowa’s family members posted her picture on the social media, saying she needed N30 million for her treatment at Emory International Hospital, Atlanta, USA.
Realizing that Mayowa is an alumnus of her secondary school, popular Nollywood actress, Toyin Aimakhu, was said to have involved herself actively in the campaign for Save Mayowa Fund and even grew very familiar with the patient and members of her family.
Aimakhu was, however, shocked to visit Mayowa at LUTH after the campaign had generated more than N30 million only to be told that she could no longer see the patient because the family had instructed that no visitor should be allowed access to her.
The situation prompted Aimakhu to suspect a foul play on the part of the family and thus she raised the alarm that the fund-raising was a scam perpetrated by Mayowa’s family members.
Badmos’s statement then said the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, had directed that full-scale investigation be launched into the report.
“Founder of Lifestake Foundation, Ms Aramide Kasumu, and two members of the ailing Aramide Shukura Ahmed family, Mr. Iwaloye Seun and Mrs. Zaneen Ahmed, were earlier today invited to the Command’s headquarters on a fact finding mission,” the statement added then.
“Consequently, the Command has placed a red alert on the Access Bank account opened in the name of Mayowa, as it has been frozen while effort is ongoing to contact the managers of Gofundme online account so as to ensure funds raised through that platform is not fraudulently diverted.
“Investigation will be extended to LUTH hospital, Idi-Araba, where the patient is currently undergoing treatment. ”
After the wrangling quelled, the ailing Mayowa was flown to South Africa on August 11 for further treatment after kind-hearted Nigerians raised over N100million for her. Unfortunately, she could not make it.
Police spokesperson, Badmos confirmed the death on telephone.
According to her, “we received the news of Mayowa’s death through her lawyer. May her soul rest in peace.”