Mother, Three Children Die after Eating ‘Poisonous’ Rice in Kwara

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

A family of four, including the mother and her three children, have reportedly died in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, after eating food suspected to be ‘poisonous’ rice.

The father of the children popularly called Alfa Ahmad,  who also ate the ‘poisonous’ rice  has been hospitalised  in one of the hospitals in Ilorin.

The unfortunate incident, it was gathered, happened at Oshin area on Asa Dam road, in Ilorin last weekend.

THISDAY investigations revealed that while the first child of the family, Abibat, was the first to die, the mother and two other children died at the early hours of yesterday.

Other two kids, who also died as a a result of eating the rice, are Zainab and Abdulfatah.

A source close to the family told journalists  yesterday in  Ilorin that: “On Saturday morning they said they all ate rice, and after eating the food, the parents went out and returned home in the evening.

“When they came back, the first child was the one that started feeling weak, so they rushed her to the hospital where she died.

Also, after the parents  got  back home at midnight, they met other two children vomiting, and they were also rushed to hospital that night of Saturday; also, on Sunday afternoon, the mother was rushed to hospital too.

“Three of them, the mother and the remaining two kids, died too at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, and they’ve brought their corpses home.

“We are preparing for their burial at the Muslims Cemetery, meanwhile, their father is still in the hospital receiving treatment.”

When contacted, a senior officer with the UITH, who sought anonymity, confirmed the incident to journalists yesterday, saying that “we are still working on the cause of the death in order to ascertain the authenticity of the food taken suspected to be poisonous rice.”

She, however, said that the management of the hospital has released the corpse of the deceased to the family while the father of the children is still at the hospital for further medical attention.”