A Nigerian official appeared to fake fainting during an interrogation over a corruption scandal in a recent post shared by Africa in Focus.
The acting MD for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei was being questioned about the N536 million that was paid to a group that is associated with the "Save Lives Of Niger Delta People."
In the featured video that is 36-seconds long, the speaker is asking Pondei, "Are you aware that every expenditure you make from 31st May till date...?" when people around him started to notice something was wrong.
The official is seated, crouching forward with his hands folded on the table as if he's about to sleep, leading many to believe something is wrong with the man as eh stares downward and rolls his eyes.
Instantly, a person seated behind him leaps and reaches out to check him, and he is non-responsive. The man then pulls Pondei, who seems to have fainted, but his eyes are open.
Other officials in the gallery jump to him and attempt to administer CPR as they open his mouth wide to pull his tongue, so he doesn't swallow it. At that point, Pondei appears to come back to his senses, raising his hand to hold the man who was about to perform mouth-to-mouth on him. Watch the video below:
Pondei Claims He was Suffering from an 'Unexpected Health Challenge'
The incident actually took place in 2020 and Pondei drew widespread criticism for "faking" a faint during the investigative hearing. Pondei maintained that he did not fake the collapse and was suffering from an "unexpected health challenge."
"I had an unexplained, unexpected health challenge," Pondei said in an interview with Vanguard. "It is ridiculous to think that people believed I was acting. I would not pray for anyone to experience what I went through. I do not run from issues. I have put all that behind me."
Twitter Reactions
The video of Pondei's faint instantly went viral on Twitter, sparking some hilarious reactions on the platform that will have you in splits. Here are some of the posts:
