A neighbour of the late Nollywood actress Allwell Ademola has recounted the circumstances surrounding her death, highlighting the frantic attempts made to keep her alive.
Tribune Online reports that the actress, aged 49, died in late December after suffering a heart attack at her home and was laid to rest in Lagos on January 9.
In an interview on the Talk2B podcast, the neighbour, who chose to remain anonymous, said the ordeal started with an alarming phone call from Ademola.
She explained that the caller’s tone immediately signalled danger, leading her to quickly assemble her husband, her son and her daughter’s friend before heading to the actress’s apartment, where they discovered the door was locked.
“She didn’t open at first because she was naked and gasping for breath,” the neighbour recalled.
She said Ademola later managed to open the door after several knocks, and they found her inside the apartment struggling badly.
The neighbour revealed that they tried to revive the actress with an energy drink but soon realised the condition was serious and resolved to take her to the hospital.
“The rain was heavy, yes. I had to quickly run out to look for other hands because we had tried to put her in the car. But when we got her up, she couldn’t move her legs,” she said.
“It was when I noticed she could not move her legs again that I knew that there was danger. I knew there was, because I had a friend who passed like that. I was the one driving, and my daughter’s friend was with us.
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“I started calling for help. People were not around. I ran to the other street. Fortunately, I met two or three other people. I was saying, please leave her. It was so unfortunate that they could not still carry her.”
She noted that the trip to the hospital was filled with anxiety, adding that they were unaware Ademola had already died in the car.
“When we got to the hospital, it was so hard to bring her out of the car. They brought her in and started to resuscitate her, but after a couple of hours, we were told she had passed,” she said.
“At the time, we felt she was all right. That was why they took her into the hospital. We were so hopeful. I was so hopeful. I felt her at rest, you know?
“We were very hopeful. They said they were taking her in. And I felt, ah, that means all is well. Only for them to let us know that she had passed, which was a very painful moment.”