Medical sources in Ogoja, North of Cross River state have informed www.calitown.com that the death of three persons and the admission of another 46 in critical condition, “show no clinical features suggestive of viral hemorrhagic fever”, contrary to fears expressed within and outside the state that the deadly Ebola or Lassa fever may be at the centre of the deaths and admissions. Instead, food poisoning may be the likely cause of the tragedy currently being experienced in Ogoja.
In Oboso – Mbube, the village where it all started, a source who has elected to remain anonymous because of the sensitive nature of the issue, is insisting that the owner of the restaurant, popularly known as Anang, tragically ate the food she prepared in her restaurant to prove she was innocent of the initial accusations levelled against her that she may have deliberately poisoned the food. It was also disclosed that the stomach pains complaint of her deaf and dumb husband alarmed her and led to her calling for help. The source again disclosed that Anang’s husband who is big time cocoa farmer, may have inappropriately placed the pesticides that poisoned the food his wife served her customers. Anang and her husband are among the three deaths so far recorded.
But in another twist to the story, another source on the ground in Oboso, told www.calitown.com that the deceased husband’s pesticides had nothing to do with the tragedy. “One of us who was earlier thrown out of the village and his house completely destroyed for inflicting matchet cuts on another Oboso boy, poisoned the woman’s food to punish a village that rose up against him for matcheting another person”, we could not ascertain the truth in this allegation at the time of going to press.
Jarigbe Agom, House of Representatives member, representing Yala/Ogoja Federal Constituency, on a visit to the victims in the hospital in Ogoja, commiserated with the families of the victims and promised to support them just like he expressed pain on his Faccebook page that the tragedy may have been self inflicted, validating concerns that someone in Oboso played an evil one on the restaurant at the centre of this tragedy.
With only three medical doctors in the employ of the General Hospital, Ogoja, it appears to be seen how the situation will be handled. However, government sources in Calabar, the state capital, assured www.calitown.com that the situation is under control.
