Emergent female athlete, Blessing Ogundiran has lamented over what she call a nightmare experience of having to spend nine days in a police cell, on account of a drugs’ case she insists she knows nothing about.
Ogundiran said she was kept in a police cell after being accused of spiking Onome Nathaniel’s food, while in camp for the African Championships in Asaba, Delta State.
Sports247.ng gathered that Ogundiran was arrested early this month on the directives of an athletics coach, Hakeem Tajudeen, who accused her of putting drugs in the food she prepared for Nathaniel and other athletes under his charge in the national camp.
Nathaniel won the African Championships 400m women gold, but she has since been stripped of the medal and given a suspension pending when she would get a dope hearing.
However, despite all accusations and the agitations of Coacjh Tajjudeen, Ogundiran insists she is innocent.
Ogundiran disclosed: “I was in my home at Oshodi, Lagos when SARS operatives came to pick me up. They put me in handcuffs and led me away as if I was a criminal.
“While in the SARS cell, they kept asking what I knew about the dope in Onome’s food. They also accused me of stealing 200 dollars and their gold chain.
“I didn’t steal anything or cook any food talk-less of putting drugs in someone’s food. In fact while we were in camp it was coach Akeem that was injecting us with supplements.
“I never knew what they were. I was injected in my arm twice. While I was in the cell he came to me and told me to confess to putting the drug in Onome’s food.
“Even Onome Nathaniel’s and Yinka Ajayi at some point urged me to confess to something I knew nothing about.
“My reply was that if I ever put banned drugs in Onome’s food or stole like they accused me, then let me rot in this cell. But if I didn’t, God will take me out.
“So, on the ninth day the SARS people now realised that I was being framed for something that I didn’t do and they let me go.”
