By Nosa Akenzua, Asaba
A shocking drama played out penultimate Wednesday in Issele Uku community, Aniocha North local government area of Delta state when a 37- year-old commercial bus driver suddenly went berserk, barking like a dog after allegedly consuming dog meat.
The man, who shuttles between Issele Uku and Asaba, the Delta state capital daily, was said to have drunken himself to stupor the previous night at a popular joint in the town, allegedly consuming the meat during the outing and waking up the next day barking instead of talking.
According to a witness, Mr Felix Onadiwe, the man’s immediate family members were shocked when they discovered that their bread-winner could no longer talk as a normal human being, rather barking. According to him, the family raised alarm which attracted sympathisers to their home located near the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) permanent Orientation Camp in the town.
A neighbour told our correspondent that the man had gone to enjoy himself moments after a quarrel with his wife. “The man and his wife had quarrelled all through the previous night and by the following morning, we saw the woman shouting for help. On getting there, we found that the man had vomited causing everywhere to be smelly. What surprised us was that he was barking and shouting like dog. Nobody knew what could have happened to him, so he was taken to Asaba for treatment”, she disclosed.
According to another source who did not want his name in print, “the bus driver, on the fateful Tuesday, dashed to the joint after telling his wife that he was going to see a friend nearby. He drank three cups of palm wine and two plates of dog meat. He even bought same for some customers who started hailing him: “Odogwu nwanem!”
He further disclosed that he ended up drunk and was led home by one of the workers at the joint.
It was gathered that, while the man was being whisked to Asaba for treatment in his friend’s vehicle, he continued barking.
Although no family members were willing to speak on the issue, his close friend who spoke to our correspondent on telephone, dismissed the incident as nothing extraordinary. He claimed that the barking may have been as a result of the man’s drunken state and not dog meat.
“My friend was drunk, to be frank, and was just behaving like a dog shouting while talking to his wife and we took him to a native doctor who found nothing wrong with him beyond being heavily drunk, hence his shouting like dog. My friend is getting better as I speak with you.”
Dog meat, especially dried and roasted ones, litter several communities around Asaba and Issele Uku where the high and mighty frequent to cool off over plates of well spiced dog meat pepper soup as testified by those in the know.