A widow in Ohuepe, Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State, has narrated how she narrowly escaped death while her husband and two children died after consuming amala prepared from cassava flour. The woman, known as Mama Rahama, said the tragedy occurred on August 14, 2026, two days after the family ate the meal. The victims—her husband, Rahama, and two children, Rabiyat and Samad—suffered vomiting, weakness, and other signs of suspected poisoning before dying.
Family meal turns fatal
Mama Rahama explained that she bought the cassava flour from a local market and prepared the amala for dinner. Her four-year-old son, Mikail, refused to eat the meal and survived, while she only took a small quantity because she had recently been discharged from hospital.
“Except my four-year-old last born, Mikail, who refused to eat the food, my husband, Rahama, Rabiyat, Samad, Senani and Haliru ate the amala for dinner,” she said. “I could only take a little because I had poor appetite and had just been discharged from hospital.”
By the next day, those who had eaten the meal began experiencing severe weakness, vomiting, and stomach pains. The situation worsened, prompting four family members to be rushed to Ado Ozuka Hospital in Ogaminana.
Hospital deaths and plea for support
“As the situation became worse, four of us were rushed to Ado Ozuka Hospital in Ogaminana. But Rabiyat died, followed by Samad and later my husband, all within a few hours on the same day,” Mama Rahama recounted.
She has since been discharged from the hospital and appealed to the Kogi State Government and individuals to support the surviving members of her family, including her son Mikail and the other children who ate the meal but survived.
Second incident in Ikoyi claims four children
A separate incident occurred in Ikoyi, Ihima, where four children reportedly died after eating a meal prepared from cassava flour. Residents said nine people from two families ate the meal last Thursday evening, with some consuming leftovers the following morning.
Al-Hassan Idris, a resident, said those who ate the food began experiencing weakness before developing stooling and vomiting of blood. “Before noon, all of them who ate the food were gripped with body weakness, which later turned into stooling and vomiting of blood at the critical stage. They were rushed to the hospital, but unfortunately, four children died – two from each of the two families,” he said.
Two children died on Friday and the remaining two on Saturday. Idris added that a dog given some of the leftover food also vomited and died. The second incident brings the total number of reported deaths in the two incidents to seven in less than two weeks.
Government investigation launched
The chairman of Okehi Local Government Area, Monday Amoka, said efforts were being intensified to save the five other victims still receiving treatment. He said samples of the suspected food had been collected and sent to a medical laboratory in Lokoja for analysis to establish the actual cause of the deaths.
The Kogi State Government has ordered an investigation into the incidents. Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo directed the Commissioner for Health to commence a comprehensive investigation. The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, said the investigation would determine whether the food consumed by the victims was contaminated or whether other medical or environmental factors contributed to the deaths. He added that relevant samples and evidence would be examined in line with established public health procedures.
