A wave of fear has gripped the Gidinye community in Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State following the tragic death of five children within a span of 24 hours.
The children, aged between five and 15, succumbed to severe symptoms after consuming food on a family farm.
Gidinye, part of the Jenkwe Development Area, is home to thousands, including a significant number of children.
The community is now in mourning and alarmed by the sudden loss of these young lives.
Investigation reveals that the children complained of stomach aches, vomiting, and diarrhoea on Monday and Tuesday.
According to Samuel Akala, the Publicity Secretary of the Migili Youth Association, the children had accompanied their parents to their farm near Keana Local Government Area when they fell ill.
“We lost the five children in less than 24 hours in the same community. The children left home for the farm. While on the farm, one of them started complaining of stomach ache and started vomiting and purging at the same time.
“Within a short time, he began to have difficulty with his breathing, and when he was rushed home, he died. The other children had similar symptoms and died,” Akala recounted.
Akala urged the Nasarawa State Government and relevant authorities to act swiftly to identify the cause and prevent further fatalities.
“The case is still on the increase, and we are yet to discover the cause of their deaths.
“The circumstances that resulted in the sudden death of these children call for forensic findings. I suggest that the Center for Disease Control and the Primary Healthcare Development Agency should be invited to carry out disease surveillance in communities around Obi and Keana LGAs,” he said.
Dr. Grace Tsakpa, the State Epidemiologist, confirmed the incident in Lafia.
She stated that healthcare workers had been deployed to Gidinye to collect samples from surviving family members.
While the results are still pending, Dr. Tsakpa indicated that the symptoms suggest food poisoning, as the ailments began shortly after the children ate on the farm.
“For now, we have taken samples from the other family members, but our suspicion is going towards food poisoning.
“This is because the whole incident happened after they ate food at the farm. The five children belong to two brothers. The family (parents and children) went to the farm, cooked there, and ate. It was on the farm that one of the children started complaining of abdominal pains, and he later died.
“The other four children also died after developing symptoms,” Dr. Tsakpa explained.
The State Epidemiologist extended her condolences to the affected families and assured them that thorough investigations would be conducted to determine the cause of the children’s deaths.
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