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Family of five die of suspected food poisoning in Osun

By Tunji Omofoye, Osogbo
23 April 2015   |   11:54 pm
THERE was palpable anxiety and fear of another strange disease outbreak when five members of the same family in Ila -Odo, Osun State reportedly slumped and died in mysterious circumstance after taking the same meal on Monday night.
Health Minister, Dr

Health Minister, Dr. Haliru Alhassan

THERE was palpable anxiety and fear of another strange disease outbreak when five members of the same family in Ila -Odo, Osun State reportedly slumped and died in mysterious circumstance after taking the same meal on Monday night.

The unfortunate incident was said to have hit the Idowu family in Ila- Odo, an agrarian sleepy border community in Odo-Otin Local Council of the state, throwing people in the neighbourhood into mourning.

It was learnt that the sudden death of the family who ate the same dinner caused serious panic in the town as people began to relate the incident to a similar one that struck the Ondo community.

The deceased include the father, Akanbi Idowu, his second wife, whose name could not be ascertained at press time, his son and two grand children.

The Guardian gathered that the tragic death of three out of five people that ate the dinner woke the community in the early hours of Tuesday. Later in the evening of the same day, two others reportedly died, fueling speculations of a possible outbreak of an epidemic in the state.

A community leader who craved anonymity, however, said that the family might have suffered and died from food poisoning.

A member of Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church in Ila -Odo, where the deceased worshipped, said, “no one can tell for now what actually happened. However, I can confirm to you that all the deceased ate from the same pot Monday evening.”

His words: “When we started hearing noise from their compound early Tuesday morning, we all rushed down, but when I got there, three members of the household were already dead. Two others that I met alive were complaining of severe stomach pain and efforts were made by the entire community to save them. They later died towards evening.”

The Guardian gathered that three of the deceased, including the father, his second wife and son, who died early Tuesday, were buried in the evening of same day, while the two grand children that died later in the evening were also buried yesterday.

However, efforts to get reactions of Osun State Ministry of Health on the ugly development proved abortive as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry could not be reached and calls put to the cell phone of the information officer of the ministry did not go through.

There is no commissioner of health in the state presently as the State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, is yet to appoint members of his cabinet.

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