Four Almajiri students of a Tsangaya Qur’anic school in Ungogo Local Government Area of Kano State have died after allegedly eating suspected contaminated fish.
The victims, identified as Abdulfatah Mohammed, 15; Yusuf Nuhu, 16; Buhari Iliyasu, 14; and Ibrahim Muhammad, 22, reportedly fell seriously ill after consuming the fish and were rushed to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, where they later died.
Another student, Auwalu Surajo, 18, who also reportedly ate the fish, survived and is receiving treatment at a hospital.
The incident occurred at a Tsangaya school operated by Gwani Malam Iliyasu Mai Tsangaya in Kadage Sharifai, Ungogo LGA.
According to the National Chairman of the Tsangaya Media Network, Gwani Sani Musa Nuhu, the four students died at the teaching hospital on Sunday night, August 16.
The circumstances surrounding the suspected poisoning remained unclear as of Tuesday, with authorities yet to establish what contaminated the fish or whether the food was deliberately tampered with.
A friend of the deceased, Surajo Unguwar Gareji, said he was present when one of the students brought out the fish at about 7am.
He said some of them initially started eating it but stopped after noticing that it did not taste normal.
Another friend, Umar, said he also declined to eat the fish because he suspected it was unsafe.
According to him, shortly after some of the students ate the fish, four of them became unconscious and developed severe symptoms.
He said the incident was reported to their teacher, who immediately arranged for the affected students to be taken to hospital.
“Unfortunately, the four of them were later confirmed dead by medical doctors at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital,” he said.
The owner of the Tsangaya school, Gwani Malam Iliyasu, confirmed the deaths, describing the incident as a tragedy for the affected families and the Muslim community.
He said four of his students had been lost and prayed for Allah to grant them Aljannatul Firdausi and give their parents the strength to bear the loss.
How incident happened
Investigations into the circumstances leading to the incident indicated that one of the deceased, Abdulfatah, carried out domestic chores at the residence of Malam Iliyasu Zulyadaini.
A resident, Aliyu, said Abdulfatah reportedly found the fish beneath a chair while cleaning the premises.
He said the teenager took the fish outside and shared it with his friends, apparently unaware that it could have been contaminated.
Aliyu said he only became aware of the incident after the students had been taken to hospital and subsequently went there.
He said the circumstances surrounding the food consumed by the students only became known later.
Police probe deaths
The Kano State Police Command has commenced an investigation into the deaths.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Abdullahi Kiyawa, confirmed the incident and said the investigation would determine the actual cause of the deaths.
Kiyawa said the deceased were indigenes of Sule Tankarkar Local Government Area of Jigawa State who had travelled to Kano to study and memorise the Qur’an.
He said the police would make the outcome of their investigation public when concluded.
The remains of the deceased were subsequently buried according to Islamic rites after approval was obtained from the district head and the police authorities.
Doctor warns against home remedies
A Kano-based medical doctor, Dr Usman Abdullahi Nagogo, said food poisoning could result from consuming food or water contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or toxins.
He said symptoms could include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever and weakness, adding that they could begin within minutes or hours of consuming contaminated food, although some cases might take longer to manifest.
Nagogo stressed that early medical intervention could improve the chances of survival.
He advised members of the public against attempting to neutralise suspected poison with home remedies or forcing affected persons to take substances without medical guidance.
The doctor also advised that suspected cases of poisoning should be treated as emergencies and that, where possible, the suspected food or substance should be preserved for examination by relevant health authorities.
He warned against inducing vomiting unless specifically directed by a qualified medical professional or poison-control expert.
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