A member of the presidential guard brigade caused a stir on Monday morning when she collapsed at the parade ground shortly before the commencement of the inauguration programme.
It was gathered that the young female soldier, whose identity was not disclosed, was swiftly taken to one of the nearby temporary clinics set up for emergencies at Eagle Square, where the swearing-in ceremony was taking place.
Multiple sources that spoke with PUNCH NEWSPAPPER recounted witnessing the soldier showing signs of discomfort while on guard duty before collapsing.
“It happened so fast. When she slumped, there was panic. We thought she had died before she was carried on a stretcher to one of those mobile clinics around.
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“Some moments later, she was brought back but couldn’t continue with her duty. In fact, she almost fainted again. I heard she has been rushed to one hospital,” the source said.
After some time, she regained consciousness but was unable to continue her duties and almost fainted again.
It was reported that she was subsequently transported to a hospital for further medical attention.
Further inquiries at the mobile clinics confirmed the incident. Medic Alkali Yusuff, one of the personnel who assisted the soldier, described the sequence of events.
“Do you mean the lady who fainted? Yes, we were the ones who evacuated her. We initially provided first aid treatment. However, after her recovery, she still felt dizzy and weak, having earlier vomited. When she returned, she was brought back by some soldiers and placed on a stretcher in one of the makeshift tents since she couldn’t walk properly. She has been taken to a military hospital for admission,” explained Yusuff..
“As you must have noticed, each of the four tents (mobile clinics) you see around here is managed by a consultant, which could be an army physician, general surgeon, cardiologist and others. The road safety guys, on the other hand, have more paramedics. If there is any emergency on the parade ground, the FRSC or Guards brigade will do an evacuation because they don’t like seeing civilians going in and out there.”
