From Moses Mbaiorga
A female baker identified as Joyce Ahom recently slumped and died at the spot while baking a birthday cake for a customer in Gboko.
Miss Joyce, 34, of Lemmy Azege’s Lane opposite Caesar’s Palace, GRA Gboko and died on Saturday August 29, 2020 around 17 hours.
Narrating the story to The Voice, the decease’s mother, Mrs. Margaret Ahom said her daughter was baking a cake for one of her customers for a birthday celebration slated for Sunday August 30, 2020.
She said the cake was almost done as the deceased was in the process of icing before she (Mama Margaret) left to visit one of their neighbours.
According to the Mum, while she was returning, she saw Miss Joyce slumped and was suffocating. She then shouted for help and the neighbours came and helped her take her to Summerview Hospital and later Baki Clinic where it was confirmed that the baker had given up a while ago.
“…she was very healthy before she started baking a birthday cake for her customer yesterday; I was at home with her even before she started making the cake.”
“when she was almost through with the cake, me and one of her younger sisters went to visit one of our neighbours, while we were coming back, I saw her on the ground and I was asking why she laid on the ground before I realised something was wrong.”
“I started shouting and some of my neighbours came quickly to help me take her to hospital, I was told at Summerview hospital that she is dead but I was not satisfied with the reports and I again, took her to Baki Clinic but the result was the same,” she narrated.
Mama Margaret further explained that the deceased until her death was healthy and had never complained of any serious ailment apart from catarrh which occurs occasionally.
The bereaved mother expressed surprise saying the sudden exit of her daughter is shocking not only to her immediate family but also to the entire neighbourhood.
Mama Margaret however said the matter was not reported to police for onward investigation.
“My daughter did not complain of sickness apart from catarrh since we have been together, I am surprised that she died that way, though I didn’t report it to police,” she said.
Further investigation revealed that a colleague to the deceased was called upon to finish the cake she died baking for delivery to client.
Miss Joyce Ahom was also a graduate of Linguistics from the Benue State University, Makurdi.