A widow in Kogi State has recounted how she survived after her husband and two children died following a suspected food poisoning incident in Ohuepe, Okehi Local Government Area of the state.
The three family members reportedly developed symptoms including severe weakness, vomiting and stomach pains after consuming amala prepared from cassava flour. They died on August 14, 2026, two days after eating the meal.
The widow, popularly known as Mama Rahama, said she narrowly escaped the tragedy because she ate only a small quantity of the food.
Her four-year-old son, Mikail, also survived after refusing to eat the meal.
Recounting the incident, Mama Rahama said she bought the cassava flour from a local market and personally prepared the amala for the family’s dinner.
According to her, everyone who ate the meal went to bed, but those who consumed it began experiencing severe weakness the following day.
She said her husband and children, Rabiyat and Samad, had eaten more of the meal, while she consumed only a small portion because she had recently been discharged from hospital and had little appetite.
“As the situation became worse, four of us were rushed to Ado Ozuka Hospital in Ogaminana,” she said.
She said Rabiyat died first, followed by Samad and later her husband, all within a few hours on the same day.
Mama Rahama, who has since been discharged from the hospital, appealed to the Kogi State Government and members of the public to support her and the surviving members of her family.
The incident came amid reports of another suspected food poisoning tragedy in Ikoyi, Ihima, where four children reportedly died after consuming a meal prepared from cassava flour.
A resident, Al-Hassan Idris, said nine people from two families ate the meal, with some also consuming the leftovers the following morning.
According to Idris, those who ate the food initially developed weakness before experiencing diarrhoea and vomiting of blood.
“They were rushed to the hospital, but unfortunately, four children died – two from each of the two families,” he said.
Two of the children reportedly died on Friday, while the other two died on Saturday.
Idris added that a dog that was given some of the leftover food also became ill, vomited and died.
The two incidents have reportedly brought the number of deaths linked to the suspected food poisoning cases in the area to seven within less than two weeks.
Chairman of Okehi Local Government Area, Monday Amoka, said efforts were being intensified to save five other victims who remained hospitalised.
He disclosed that samples of the suspected food had been collected and sent to a medical laboratory in Lokoja for analysis to determine the actual cause of the deaths.
The Kogi State Government has also ordered an investigation into the incidents.
Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo directed the Commissioner for Health to commence a comprehensive investigation, while Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, said the probe would determine whether the food was contaminated or whether other medical or environmental factors contributed to the deaths.
Fanwo said relevant samples and evidence would be examined in accordance with established public health procedures.