Family of 7 killed after eating contaminated food

Tragedy struck on Wednesday at the Mafoluku area of Lagos, after a family of seven were found dead in their apartment at No. 19, Olowora Street.

The family, including a father, an expectant mother, a set of twins, and four others had allegedly eaten a pot of rice, suspected to be poisonous the previous night, which may have caused the deaths.

The victims included the father, an electrician, identified as Mr. Zakariah, his pregnant wife, a petty trader, their three daughters – Aliyah, 11, Farida, 9, Taiye and Kehinde, 5 each – and a 17-year-old female relative.

Their bodies were found in the early hours of Wednesday at 8 am when neighbours noticed the door to their apartment still shot.

Neighbours knocked, but there was no response, as it was unusual for the family to still be asleep at that time.

One of the neighbors, Mr. Kazeem said: “We woke up at about 8 am but when we did not see any of them. We decided to knock on their door, but there was no response.

“We forced the door open and saw the lifeless body of the husband, his wife, and their children. Also, their relative, a 17-year-old girl who came to visit them was among the deceased.

“There was blood coming out from the noise of the woman, and she defecated on herself. We saw a leftover cooked pot of rice which the police took away. The others had foam on their mouths. We rushed them to the hospital but they were declared dead on arrival.”

Another neighbour, Mr. Eze, said: “I want the police to investigate these deaths. We are sad. One thing is clear that inside their compound, all of them live as one. There is love among all the neighbours. The man is an electrician and his wife sells shoes and bags. They are peaceful people.

“Also, I know that the man cannot do without using a generator. He has lived in here for more than six years and he used his generator which he kept close to his window because their side of the building is very hot.”

The police said they are investigating the cause of the death, as it may be linked to the poisonous food or generator fume.

Officials from Oshodi Local Government Council have sealed the building. It was gathered that the school the children attend have opened a register for them.