A 28-year-old Nigerian woman, Rebecca Oyedotun, has died after she slumped on the eve of her wedding day.
Rebecca and her fiancé, Abiodun Oluwadamilare, were set to wed on Saturday, August 19, 2023, in Ogbomosho, Oyo State but she died at the hospital on Sunday, August 20.
It was gathered that the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, graduate, and her friends were having her bridal shower ceremony on Friday, August 18, when she reportedly slumped at 10:30pm.
She was rushed to LAUTECH Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso where she was revived but her condition did not improve until she gave up the ghost in the early hours of Sunday.
“Everything was set by Friday, the cows had been slaughtered and the meat fried, every necessary preparation was made, there were a lot of people coming and going to rejoice with us, the groom and his people had come from Abeokuta,” a sister-in-law of the deceased, who did not however mention her name, told Ogbomoso Online at their residence at Caretaker area, on Wednesday, in the presence of the father of the deceased, Evangelist Moses Oyedotun.
She further revealed that the parents of the groom had in fact slaughtered their cow in Ogbomoso, as Abiodun is their only child, not knowing that tragedy was ominously lurking in the corner.
“We had bought ewedu to be used, ingredients had been ground, and in the morning of Saturday, amala (yam flour paste) was made, rice was ready, the venues were set, but the ceremony was never held as the bride was never available,” the sister-in-law added.
Father of the deceased, Evangelist Oyedotun of C&S Reformed Church, Isale-High School area, explained how it happened.
“Everything was going on perfectly until about 10:30p.m. Friday when she with her friends were having the bridal shower ceremony and she reportedly slumped,” the grieving father said.
“We quickly took her to LAUTECH Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso. After some time she was revived and she appeared stable and by dawn of Saturday, a nurse told us quoting a doctor that she would be briefly discharged to attend the ceremony to sign the marriage documents and be returned to continue the treatment,” Oyedotun narrated.
“But then her condition deteriorated again and so she was confined to the bed. We even were required to take her to Bowen University Teaching Hospital for some tests which we promptly did. Her husband who on learning fainted and was later anxiously crying, ‘Let me take her away.’ We were in the hospital throughout that Saturday.”
Her condition did not improve until she gave up the host Sunday morning.
It was learnt many guests who didn’t get wind of the development, were in the church for the wedding “only to meet the church empty.”