In a tragic incident, seven members of the same family in Runjin Barmo village, Kajiji District of Shagari Local Government Area in Sokoto State, have reportedly died after consuming a contaminated cassava meal.
The unfortunate event was confirmed in a statement issued by Nura Bello, the information officer for the state Ministry of Health, on behalf of the State Commissioner for Health, Hajiya Asabe Balarabe, on Sunday evening.
According to the statement, the village head, Malam Muhammadu Modi, recounted the incident to the Commissioner during her visit to the community. He explained that the victims, comprising the father, Malam Abubakar, his wife, A’ishatu Abubakar, and their five children, fell ill after eating the cassava delicacy for dinner.
“The incident occurred last Wednesday, but the exact cause of death has yet to be confirmed,” said the village head. He further noted that other households in the village also consumed the same batch of cassava without any reported cases of illness, raising concerns about what could have gone wrong.
The Commissioner expressed deep condolences on behalf of the state governor, Dr. Ahmed Aliyu, and assured the community that the government is taking the incident seriously. She announced that the Ministry of Health would take samples from a surviving teenager who also consumed the cassava meal in an effort to determine the cause of the deaths.
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Hajiya Asabe Balarabe urged residents of Sokoto State to promptly report any unusual health issues to the authorities for timely intervention. She assured the community that the state government would take all necessary actions following the investigation.
In his remarks, Sani Bello Tambuwal, the Director of Health for Shagari Local Government Area, expressed gratitude to the Commissioner for her swift response and concern. He also hoped that the state government would sustain these efforts to prevent future occurrences.
The Commissioner was accompanied on her visit by the Executive Director of the State Hospital Services Management Board, Dr. Bello Abubakar Attahiru, along with other directors and staff from the ministry.
