Man, wife, 5 children die in sleep in Lagos

There was mourning in Oshodi area of Lagos on Wednesday when a man, Mr Kazeem Owojori, his wife, Aminat, their five children; Aliyah, Faridaus, Taye, Kehinde and a family friend, Wasiliat, were found dead in their apartment.

It was gathered that they were discovered at about 7 am at 19, Raneem Olawora Street, Mafoluku in Oshodi, Lagos Mainland.

The situation got worse when Aminat’s mother also slumped and died when she confirmed the incident after which she was told.

Meanwhile, residents in the area said the family might have choked after inhaling a chemical substance that was still strongly felt at the time the door to their one-room apartment was forced open by neighbours.

However, there were suspicions that they might have suffered from food poisoning from the rice they ate before going to bed, a position that was dismissed after two of their neighbours disclosed that they also ate the rice.

The neighbours who ate the meal said to have been prepared by Aminat were identified as the landlord’s grandchild Farida and one Iyawo.

Meanwhile, some residents expressed fears that someone might have killed them.

While Kazeem, Faridaus, Taye and Wasiliat were already dead at the time neighbours forced the door open, Aminat, Aliyah and Kehinde were said to be unconscious and were rushed to a private hospital.

But Aminat and her eldest daughter, Aliyah, passed on, leaving only Kehinde, the woman’s youngest child, as a survivor.

It was learnt that their neighbours became suspicious when Mr. Owojori, alias Cool Money, did not turn up for the early morning prayer at the mosque called Subh.

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Residents said the man was a devout Muslim who never missed prayers, adding that his wife was an early riser because she usually prepared her children for school before going to her shop.

But when neither the man nor his wife was seen, the neighbours reportedly called them without a response, prompting them to peep through the window.

It was gathered that neigbours saw them all lying down, but they did not respond when their names were called.

An eyewitness said, “Immediately we forced the door open, we found the seven of them lying down as if they were asleep. On closer look, we discovered that Cool Money was dead, Wasiliat had foaming substance in her mouth, while the bodies of Farida and Taiwo (one of the twins) were very cold and stiff as if they had died several hours ago.

“As soon as we discovered that Mrs. Owojori, Kehinde and Aliyah were still breathing, we rushed them to hospital. Unfortunately, only Kehinde, one of the twins, survived. Aliyah and her mother died in hospital.

“I cannot say what happened to them, but we found out that they ate rice last night. Only God knows what happened to the family”, a resident said.

Police spokesman Bala Elkana, confirmed the incident, saying “police will investigate the cause of the death.”

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