Metro
Man, Pregnant Wife, Three Children, Guest Found Dead in Lagos Home
Family members and neighbours were thrown into confusion following the death of five members of a family and their guest in Lagos on Wednesday.
The corpses of an electrician, Kazeem Zakariya; his wife, Aminat; three of their children, Aliya, Firidaus and Taye, and a guest, Wasilat, were discovered in the family’s one-room apartment at No. 19 Raheem Olowora Street, Mafoluku, in the Oshodi area of the state.
PUNCH Metro gathered from eyewitnesses that their corpses were discovered when neighbours, who observed that none of the family members had come out to perform their early morning chores, broke the door of their room after they failed to respond to repeated calls.
Upon entering the room, the neighbours discovered that all the family members and their guest were lying on the floor with foamy substances and blood on their mouths.
Kazeem, Aliya, Firidaus, Taye and Wasilat were said to have died by the time neighbours forced their way into the room, while Aminat and her daughter, Kehinde, were found unconscious and were rushed to the Divine Hospital, Mafoluku, where the woman also lost her life.
Kehinde was said to be responding to treatment as of the time of filing this report.
An eyewitness, Abdulkareem Akeju, said the victims most likely died of food poisoning, adding that the incident shocked neighbours and residents of the area.
Akeju stated, “We were called upon this morning that no one from the Zakariya family had come out of their room. We knew this was unusual because his wife and children usually come out early to do their chores.
“So, the neighbours were confused and after several failed attempts at calling them, we broke down the door and when we entered the room, we saw all members of the family lying on the floor with foamy substances and blood coming out of their mouths, which fueled the suspicion of food poisoning.
“Kazeem, 42; Aliya, 11; Fridaus, eight; Taye, six; and Wasilat were all dead, but the man’s wife, Aminat, who was pregnant, and Taye’s twin sister, Kehinde, were struggling to breath and so we rushed them to the Divine Hospital in Mafoluku, but Aminat died on the way.
“Everywhere is rowdy; the neighbours are in shock and Kazeem’s brother is crying profusely. He said he was informed about the incident around 9am.”
Another eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the deceased probably died of excessive inhalation of an insecticide, Sniper, which was likely sprayed to kill mosquitoes in the room.
The eyewitness said, “When we entered the room, aside the suspicion that the family died of food poisoning, we smelt Sniper, meaning that the family must have sprayed the room with the insecticide to kill mosquitoes. So, it is possible that the Sniper they inhaled was responsible for their death.
“As for food poisoning, neighbours said Kazeem got home around 11.45pm on Tuesday, because he stayed back in his shop to attend to some of his customers, who experienced power outage. So, if it was food poisoning, his wife and children would have died before he got home.”
Kazeem’s brother, Akeem, said he had yet to inform their parents about the tragedy, adding that an autopsy was being conducted on the corpses to ascertain the actual cause of death.
The Oyo State indigene said, “My friend, Abass Adeguroye, who resides close to the area, informed me about the incident. I quickly rushed down there but people prevented me from going inside my brother’s room because of the way I reacted to the incident. I still saw him on Monday and he never told me that anything was bothering him. We have no concrete evidence as to what caused the death, but people were saying that it was as a result of food poisoning.
“But whenever my brother’s wife cooked, she usually gave portions to neighbours and that was what she did with the last meal they had on Tuesday. Nothing happened to the neighbours, who ate the food. I am still trying to get myself together; some tests are being conducted on the corpses to unravel the true cause of this tragedy. Though I heard that one of them is responding to treatment, but I can’t confirm that and I have not informed our parents.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, said the corpses had been recovered for autopsy in a bid to unravel the mystery surrounding the incident.
Elkana stated, “In the family, the father, wife, three children and a guest died. One child survived and is still receiving treatment. We have yet to ascertain the actual cause of death, but the autopsy will reveal what actually killed them. Some people were thinking that it was the food they ate, because a pot of rice was recovered from the room, but we also gathered that two other neighbours, who ate the meal, are alive.
“But when our personnel got to the room, they perceived the odour of Sniper insecticide; so, members of the family might have intended to use the Sniper to kill mosquitoes and slept in the room. So, that could also be the cause of death, but investigation is still ongoing.”
The Punch
Broadcasting company Multichoice has jacked up the prices of its offerings in Nigeria four months after its last increment.
The company reviewed prices in its packages across the board. The new prices will take effect from May 1, 2024.
With the latest price hike, the DStv Premium package increased from N29,500 to N37,000. Similarly, the DStv Compact+ went up from N19,800 to N25,000 while the Compact package increased from N12,500 to N15,700.
The Comfam package moved from N7,400 to N9,300. Yanga package moved up from 4,200 to N5,100 while Padi package increased from N2,950 to N3,600. HDPVR was increased from N4,000 to N5,000, the Access Fees package from N4,000 to N5,000, and XtraView moved from N4,000 to N5,000.
Meanwhile, the Gotv Supa+ package moved from N12,500 to N15,700, Supa package from N7,600 to N9,600, and Max package from N5,700 to N7,200.
While the Jolli package was jacked up from N3,950 to N4,850, the Jinja package moved from N2,700 to N3,300, and Smallie package from N1,300 to N1,575.
It will be recalled that the company implemented an upward review of prices in December 2023, days after announcing a $72m loss in its financial statement for the third quarter of the year.
Checks on the company’s reviewed price list then showed a 20 per cent per cent hike in the company’s packages across the board.
A former spokesperson of the Atiku/Okowa presidential campaign, Daniel Bwala, has said the girl being bullied by her classmates in a viral video, is not his daughter, as originally speculated.
While commending the girl in thr video for her restraint and calmness, Bwala explained that the girl in the video is not his daughter, noting that he doesn’t have any children studying in the said school. He however, informed that if it were one of his children, the scenario would’ve been different as there would’ve been a fight in self-defense.
He stated that he had reported the incident to the necessary authorities to investigate the matter and give justice to the abused girl. He noted that when contacted, the school authorities claimed that the two girls were minors and should be treated as such.
“My attention has been drawn to a viral video circulating on all social media platforms alleging that my daughter was bullied or assaulted. For the record, the young girl in the video is not my daughter, I do not know her, nor do I have any of my children studying in that school. Whilst the young girl in the video showed extreme decorum and restraint (and should be commended), if it were any of my children, the scenario would not go without a fight in the exercise of self-defense,” be said.
A video has emerged showing a student, who has been identified as the daughter of former spokesperson of the Atiku/Okowa presidential campaign, Mr. Daniel Bwala.
The less than two minutes clip, which has gone viral on social media showed a student unleashing series of slaps in cohort with other students, who did nothing to help the bullied student. Among the students was a male student, who was heard saying ‘I spoilt her relationship’, and another, a female, who queried, ‘can’t you talk?’
According to the video, the girl, known as Namitra Bwala, received a total of 18 slaps to her face, choked once on the mouth and pushed once, at both sitting and standing positions. Her assailant, who was also identified as Maryam Hassan, was asking ‘who broke my heart’ while she released the slaps.
Releasing the video on X, formerly Twitter, a user, @omolomo_o, called the attention of the politician-father, who returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC) after Atiku lost the 2023 election, and demand that he takes action, and claim justice for the molested girl.
However, the school, where the incident occurred, Lead British International School, Abuja, has said they on top of the matter, and has reached out to the families involved.
In a statement, with the subject, Addressing the Incident of Bullying at Lead British International School Abuja, LBIS prevailed on the social public to desist from further sharing the offensive video so as to reduce the trauma those involved are going at the moment.
“LBIS appeals to members of the public, especially citizen journalists on social media, to refrain from further circulating the horrendous video of the incident, to protect the minors involved and their families,” the statement read in part.
