Cannabis sweet tragedy: Mother’s final moments with Nigerian-born student who died in UK

There is a popular saying: A mother’s love is like an everlasting bed of roses that continues to blossom. Whether at the point of death or a stomach-aching laugh during Christmas, the affection between a daughter and her mother is unquantified, seamless and pure.

Wumi Olakanmi, mother of Damilola, the Nigerian-born student who died after she consumed cannabis sweets in the UK, couldn’t leave the bedside of her daughter in her final moments.

The 51-year-old was said to have kept vigil by her side until she took her last breath.

Speaking on Damilola’s death, Richard Taylor, a justice campaigner and relative of the family, said she was an only child, adding that she was a “promising young woman”.

“Wumi has lost her only child – she has nothing now. They had to hold her up because she broke down every time a friend came to the house to give support,” Taylor told the Evening Standard.

“It’s a tragic warning to all young people about how they live their lives. They should resist drugs. Damilola was a promising young woman who should be looking forward to her future and having children of her own.”

Another relative, identified as Dunni, said: “Damilola was a sweet, quiet girl – a bit of an introvert. Her mother looked up to her. She loved looking after children and wanted to please everyone.

“The family will never come to terms with this. We need to know what happened. We don’t want Damilola’s memory to be just like that. You want her to be remembered as the girl who asked everyone, ‘Are you OK and do you want anything?”