No fewer than six people have been reported dead and over 60
hospitalized in Amegu village, Ede-Oballa in Nsukka Local Government
Area of Enugu State following an alleged poisoning of pork meat they
took at a funeral ceremony.
According to reports from Ede-Oballa, more than 60 guests developed
severe stomach problems after the funereal ceremony, prompting their
immediate hospitalization. Investigation by Sunday Sun showed that all
the popular hospitals in the university town of Nsukka including the
Catholic Mission- owned Bishop Shanahan have been flooded with the
victims who were said to be in critical conditions.
A woman was said to
be the first casualty of the meat poisoning followed by three girls
while it was feared that two others who are not natives of the community
also died.
It was gathered that a pig farmer who sold the infected animal to a
woman (name withheld) who hosted the funeral, was in police net.
Hospital sources expressed apprehension over the survival of the
victims, saying they ought to have been rushed to the hospital same
night. “In a situation like this, victims should be rushed to the
hospital promptly for early stomach wash”, said a hospital source.
The
source however said frantic efforts are being made to save the lives of
the victims Another reliable source suspected that guests at the funeral
might have been served the meat of a dead pig injected by a veterinary
doctor.
The source said the owner of the pig (name withheld) had lied to the
woman that the pig fell into a ditch. Apparently due to the intimidating
size of the pig and its relative cheapness, the woman quickly entered a
bargain and bought the meat not knowing it was sick and had been
treated recently by a veterinary doctor who also advised that in the
event of its death, the animal should be buried. A source quoted the
doctor who has been quizzed by the police as saying that he advised the
pig farmer to bury the animal if it died within three weeks of the
injection.
The tragic incident has caused tension in Nsukka zone where pigs are
used at funeral ceremonies as an imperative and status symbol. It was
gathered that since the incident, guests at burial ceremonies in the
area have been avoiding pork. This has created problems for pig farmers
who have lost patronage due to the tragedy.
Our reporter could not reach the veterinary doctor at the time of
filing this report. A senior police officer attached to the Nsukka Urban
Police Command said that some of the guests and the pig farmer were
helping the police in their investigation.
-SUN
