A family of seven tragically died after consuming contaminated cassava meal in Runjin Barmo village, Kajiji District, Shagari Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, August 7, when the victims, including the father Malam Abubakar, his wife A’ishatu Abubakar, and their five children, consumed the contaminated cassava for dinner.
The village head, Muhammadu Modi Magajin Runjin Barmo, explained that while the cassava had been consumed by several households in the village without any reported deaths, it has yet to be confirmed if the meal was directly responsible for the family’s deaths.
In response, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Hajiya Asabe Balarabe, visited the village to assess the situation. She received the report of the incident on Saturday, August 10, and promptly led a delegation, including all Directors and the Surveillance Disease Control Unit of the ministry, to investigate further.
Hajiya Balarabe indicated that the ministry plans to take samples from a teenager who survived the meal to determine if the contaminated cassava was indeed the cause of the fatalities. The results of these tests will determine if the food was indeed contaminated and led to the deaths.
