In a tragic incident, seven members of the same family in Runjin Barmo village, Kajiji District, Shagari Local Government Area of Sokoto State, have died after consuming a contaminated cassava meal.
The Sokoto State Ministry of Health confirmed the incident in a statement signed by its Information Officer, Nura Bello, on behalf of the 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, who led a delegation to the village. The victims, including Malam Abubakar, his wife A’ishatu, and their five children, reportedly ate the cassava meal during dinner.
While the exact cause of the deaths has not been confirmed, it was noted that other households in the village had consumed the same batch of cassava without any reported illnesses.
Commissioner Balarabe stated that the ministry would conduct further investigations, including taking samples from a teenager who survived after eating the same cassava meal. On behalf of the state government, she expressed condolences to the affected community and urged residents to promptly report any unusual illnesses for immediate intervention.
The village head and local health officials expressed their gratitude to the state government for its prompt response and ongoing support.
