FRIENDS of a young man who died suddenly in Lockerbie last month are fundraising to bring his family over from Africa for the funeral.
The town was left in shock when Abdulmutalib Abdulazeez, known as Abdul, collapsed while out jogging early in the morning of February 1 and later died.
The 27-year-old had only recently
moved to the area from Nigeria and had secured a sponsorship visa to work in the labs at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.
His devastated family are still in Nigeria and the crowdfunding campaign has been set up to help pay for them to attend his funeral.
It is being organised by Abdul’s close friend Massa Sheriff, who lives in Wolverhampton.
Massa said: “Abdul was a kind, caring and a gentle person, who was very hardworking, ambitious and he was very supportive of his family back in Nigeria.
“The family relied on him and he was excited to come to the UK and make a difference.”
Appealing for support to reach the £20,000 target, Massa added: “Put yourself in his shoes and the shoes of his family. In a complete new foreign country, no relative. His family have not been able to see his body. They are helpless and unable to travel and be at his funeral.
“We are seeking help from everyone who is capable of helping, please donate what you can, so that his family can get funding to come and say their final goodbyes. All his blood relatives are in Nigerian and it pains me, that his mother, father, sister and brothers could not be here with him to bury him. They have been very distraught and very saddened by the sudden death of their son and brother.
“Please keep Abdul and his family in your prayers.”
The fundraiser is being widely shared in Lockerbie and has already raised £2164.
Concerns that it may not be genuine have been refuted by people locally who knew Abdul. They have confirmed that it is legitimate and expressed hopes it will be well supported.
