OGOJA: Man poisons restaurant food, 2 dead, 46 hospitalised

Paul Nchui, who allegedly poisoned food that led to the death of two persons and 46 hospitalised in Oboso community of Mbube in Ogoja Local Government Area of Cross River State, has been apprehended by the police.
Nchui’s arrest was confirmed by the state Police Command Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, who said that the 35-year old suspect from Oboso has confessed to the crime.
The food vendor and her husband, Mr. Edidi, were said to have died as soon as they finished eating the poisoned food from their restaurant last Friday.
Following the incident, several people were afraid and their fears were heightened by suspicion of an outbreak of Ebola, Lassa fever or some strange ailment in the community.
There were also suspicions that the stream which serves as source of drinking water in the area was poisoned and that the casualties became affected after drinking water from the stream.
However, confirming the event in a statement, police said Mr. Paul Nchui, a “suspect who poisoned a restaurant of a food vendor in Oboso community in Ogoja has been arrested. The suspect is in our custody and has confessed to the crime. He will soon be charged to court”.

Read also: 3 dead, houses razed as gunmen attack Benue community

Police at the time of this report has not disclosed the reason for the ugly action. However, an unconfirmed report claimed that the suspect has confessed that he poisoned the restaurant to punish the community for the treatment meted on him.
Meanwhile, a statement by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Inyang Asibong, revealed that the strange illness came with a “sudden onset of vomiting, foaming in the mouth, body weakness and spitting out of blood”.
Asibong, who said that deaths have already been recorded in three communities in Ogoja LGA of the state, promised that the state government is doing everything necessary to ensure there were no more casualties.
He went further to say that a team made up of epidemiologists, doctors, community health workers and other related health staff, has been dispatched to the affected communities to find out the current situation of things in the area and ensure that immediate required medical attention was given to those affected.

RipplesNigeria ….without borders, without fears

Click here to download the Ripples Nigeria App for latest updates

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now