A Nigerian mother, previously seen in a video encouraging her young son to smoke shisha, has been located after an online search. Actress Mary Lazarus confirmed that the woman has been found.
The lady, who originally claimed to have made the video in jest on March 24, has since recognized her mistake. She expressed remorse and disclosed that she resides in Festac, while her son lives with relatives. Her son has been taken to a hospital.
Mary Lazarus stated, “The Lady Giving her son shisha to smoke… @amazonmercy Just Found her…..Thank you so much for this great news. @amazonmercy. I have been speaking to her . I have also spoken to her Father and her Mother . But for the #stayhome directive, I would have been there physically. But I’m doing my best on the phone! . The child is on his way to the hospital. The Lady herself will get necessary help! If you are willing to join me and offer her counseling/ therapy please let me know! There is plenty background story and by God’s grace she will get all the help she needs right now! . Thank you all for sharing the video. Thanks to those who gave me leads. God bless you all!”
In Nigeria, laws prohibit the sale of tobacco products via the internet, single cigarettes, and small cigarette packets. The sale of such products is also restricted to persons under the age of 18. Nonetheless, there have been increasing calls for stricter measures to curb the use of these products by young individuals in recent years.
Exposing children to smoking increases their vulnerability to various health issues such as asthma, allergies, ear infections, eczema, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).