Ilorin food poisoning: Family blames hospital for death of 14-yr-old, disagrees with health commissioner
- Incorrect treatment killed my son: father
- We followed health ministry’s recommendations, referred patients when case worsened: Hospital
- Amala mixed with Lafun likely caused the food poisoning: Kwara health commissioner
- They all ate same food, family member disagrees with health commissioner
The controversy surrounding the death of four people due to the consumption of allegedly poisoned amala — a Yoruba staple food made from yam flour — in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, has taken a new turn.
The death toll has now risen to four, while other victims are currently receiving treatment.
The most recent victim, 14-year-old Ridwan Ibrahim, died in the early hours of Tuesday after being admitted to Temitope Hospital in Ilorin on Sunday.
Incorrect treatment killed my son: father
In an exclusive interview with The Informant247 on Tuesday, Abibullahi Imalere Ibrahim, the father of the deceased, noted that his son had been recovering on Monday morning but his condition worsened in the afternoon.
Ibrahim claimed that, although his son was attended to by hospital staff and received treatment, he believes that incorrect treatment caused Ridwan’s death.
“We took him to the hospital on Sunday night after he vomited something blackish, similar to what Halimat and Kamaldeen Yusuf had experienced. He was improving, but his condition deteriorated on Monday afternoon due to incorrect medication. They later gave him an injection to help him sleep, and he eventually passed away,” he said.
He further accused the hospital of trying to shift responsibility for the boy’s death by referring him to a general hospital to avoid claiming it.
“They quickly rushed us out in the middle of the night. They wrote up papers and called a taxi for us without asking for payment. The doctor in charge knew the boy was dead because, despite still breathing, he did not respond to any of his actions. When we arrived at the general hospital, the doctor there told me that the boy had already died before we got there,” he claimed.
We followed health ministry’s recommendations, referred patients when case worsened: Hospital
Dr. L.O. Shittu, Head of Temitope Hospital in Ilorin, refuted the claim that the boy died at their facility.
He stated that the deceased was referred to the general hospital before his death and argued that the father had objected to transferring him to where other victims were being treated when his condition worsened on Monday afternoon.
Dr. Shittu emphasized that public health officials from the Kwara State Ministry of Health had recommended some of the treatments given to the deceased and had observed his stable condition during their visit on Monday.
He added that the officials had suggested transferring Ridwan to the general hospital in case his condition worsened, but the father refused.
“The public health officials advised us on some of the treatments administered when they visited and found him stable. Later, when his condition worsened and we suggested a transfer, his father refused — even after the public health officials spoke to him about taking the boy to the hospital,” he said.
We can’t confirm that food poisoning caused his death: Hospital
Dr. Shittu also noted that the hospital cannot confirm whether food poisoning was the cause of death without testing the amala.
We conducted a general test when he was brought in, and everything appeared normal. We cannot confirm food poisoning without testing the food, which we do not have,” he said.
Amala with Lafun likely caused the food poisoning: Kwara health commissioner
Meanwhile, the Kwara State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Amina El-Imam, confirmed in a phone interview with The Informant247 the death of the fourth victim, adding that others are responding to treatment. She also mentioned that the state will investigate the matter further.
“It’s unfortunate that we lost him, but the others are responding to treatment,” said the commissioner. “We will look into the controversy surrounding the death of the fourth victim and provide more information as it becomes available.”
However, El-Imam had stated in an earlier press briefing on Tuesday that the amala with lafun could have been responsible for the deaths.
She mentioned that those who consumed yam flour without lafun were fine.
“However, those who consumed a mixture of both lafun and amala fell ill, and some of them eventually died,” she said.
They all ate same food, family member disagrees with health commissioner
Reacting to the commissioner’s claim, Abubakar Opele, a family member of the late Ridwan, argued that the statement was untrue, asserting that all the deceased and those receiving treatment ate the same amala.
“It’s not possible they could have eaten different amala. All of them ate the same food. They all ate from the same pot because it was one person who cooked the food,” said Abubakar, who added that others are receiving treatment at the General Hospital in Ilorin.
