A single mother of three children, Lovett Ighorodhe, slumped and died during the Delta State Governor Annual Elders’ Tournament Walk tagged: ‘Walk to Health’ in Asaba on Monday.
The 10-kilometre walk that was strictly for Delta residents between the ages of 55 and 70 without gender discrimination was one of the activities lined up for the inauguration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s second term.
Okowa had splashed the winner, first runner-up and second runner-up with cash prizes running into millions of naira.
It was gathered that the deceased slumped less than two kilometres into the walk that commenced at the Abraka junction in Asaba through Dennis Osadebay Way, Nnebisi Road, Anwai Road to the Government House.
The deceased, according to a source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was a teacher at the Asagba Secondary School, Asaba, and was hale and hearty when she left for the walk.
It was gathered that Ighorodhe was a native of Aboh in the Ndokwa East Local Government Area of the state and was in her 50s.
The corpse was said to have been deposited in the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba.
“The news of her death came to us as a rude shock. If anybody had told us that she would die even in two years time, we would have doubted it,” the source stated.
The woman, according to the source, was in the guidance and counselling unit of the school.
Okowa, who received the participants at the Government House, expressed joy that elderly citizens came out to actively participate in the walk.
Dr Toju Eresanara, who came first in the walk, got a prize of N3m, while the first and second runners up, Mr Hyacinth Osuhor and Mr Ojubana Peter, were rewarded with N2m and N1m, respectively.