A widow in Ohuepe, Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State, has recounted the ordeal she faced after her husband and two children died following the consumption of
amala prepared from cassava flour.
The three family members reportedly died on August 14, 2026, two days after eating the meal. They were said to have developed severe weakness, vomiting and stomach pains before their conditions deteriorated.
The woman, popularly known as Mama Rahama, said she survived because she ate only a small quantity of the amala, while her four-year-old son, Mikail, refused to eat the meal.
According to her, she bought the cassava flour from a local market and prepared the amala for the family as dinner.
She said those who ate the meal initially went to bed but began experiencing serious health complications the following day.
“Except my four-year-old last born, Mikail, who refused to eat the food, my husband, Rahama, Rabiyat, Samad, Senani and Haliru ate the amala for dinner,” she said.
Mama Rahama explained that her husband and two of the children ate more of the meal, while she took only a little because she had recently been discharged from hospital and had a poor appetite.
As the situation worsened, some family members were rushed to Ado Ozuka Hospital in Ogaminana.
She said Rabiyat died first, followed by Samad and later her husband, all within a few hours.
Mama Rahama, who has since been discharged, appealed to the Kogi State Government and members of the public to support her surviving family members.
The tragedy was followed by another suspected food-related incident in neighbouring Ikoyi, Ihima, where four children reportedly died after eating food prepared from cassava flour.
A resident, Al-Hassan Idris, said nine people from two families ate the meal, with some also consuming the leftovers the following morning.
He said those affected developed weakness, stooling and vomiting before being taken to hospital. Four children, two from each family, reportedly died.
Idris also claimed that a dog which ate some of the leftover food became ill and died.
The chairman of Okehi Local Government Area, Monday Amoka, said efforts were ongoing to save five other victims receiving treatment.
He said samples of the suspected food had been collected and sent to a medical laboratory in Lokoja for analysis.
The Kogi State Government has ordered an investigation into the deaths, with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo directing the Commissioner for Health to determine the actual cause of the incident.
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The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, said authorities would investigate whether the food was contaminated or whether other medical or environmental factors were responsible.
A medical consultant, Dr Ahmed Okolo, urged authorities to trace the source of the cassava flour, conduct laboratory tests and carry out autopsies on the deceased to establish the exact cause of death.
Residents have also raised concerns that the deaths could be linked to the consumption of “bitter cassava,” a variety that can be dangerous if it is not properly processed before consumption.
Authorities are expected to establish the actual cause of the deaths through laboratory analysis and further medical investigations.
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