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A Tsangaya school student in Kano State, Auwalu Surajo, has survived a suspected food poisoning incident that claimed the lives of four other Almajiri students after they ate contaminated fish.
Veracity News had yesterday reported that four pupils of a Qur’anic school in Kano State have reportedly died after consuming food suspected to have been contaminated.
The deceased were identified as Abdulfatah Mohammed, 15; Yusuf Nuhu, 16; Buhari Iliyasu, 14; and Ibrahim Muhammad, 22.
Surajo, 18, is currently receiving medical treatment after reportedly stopping midway while eating the fish because he noticed that it tasted unusual.
The students were attending a Tsangaya school operated by Gwani Malam Iliyasu Mai Tsangaya in Kadage Sharifai, Ungogo Local Government Area of Kano State.
Narrating his experience, Surajo Unguwar Gareji, a friend of one of the deceased, said the fish was brought out at about 7am before some of the students began eating it.
He said he initially tasted the fish but immediately stopped after noticing something was wrong with its taste.
“I tasted the fish but immediately stopped eating because it did not taste normal,” Surajo said.
Another student, Malam Umar, reportedly also declined to eat the fish after suspecting that it might not be safe. Shortly afterwards, the students who had eaten it reportedly became unconscious and seriously ill.
The matter was brought to the attention of their teacher, who arranged for the affected students to be taken to hospital. Despite efforts to save them, four of the students were later pronounced dead at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital.
The National Chairman of the Tsangaya Media Network, Gwani Sani Musa Nuhu, had earlier confirmed that the students died on Sunday night, August 16, after being admitted for treatment.
The circumstances surrounding how the students came in contact with the fish remained under investigation. However, residents said one of the deceased, Abdulfatah, reportedly found the fish beneath a chair while carrying out domestic chores at a residence where some of the students stayed.
The boy allegedly took the fish outside and shared it with his colleagues, apparently unaware that it could have been contaminated.
The owner of the Tsangaya school, Gwani Malam Iliyasu, said the tragedy had devastated the school and the affected families, revealing that his own son and a nephew were among those who died.
“Among the deceased, one was my son, and another was my brother’s son. Two others were sons of my friends,” he said.
He explained that the affected students were initially taken to a private hospital before being transferred through several public health facilities, eventually reaching Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, where four were confirmed dead.
Meanwhile, the police confirmed the incident and commenced investigation to determine the actual cause of the deaths.
The Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abdullahi Kiyawa, said the victims were from Sule Tankarkar Local Government Area of Jigawa State and had travelled to Kano for Qur’anic education.
Kiyawa said the command would make its findings public after completing the investigation.
A medical doctor, Dr Usman Abdullahi Nagogo, advised anyone who develops symptoms after consuming suspected contaminated food to seek urgent medical attention rather than attempting unverified home remedies.
He listed possible symptoms of food poisoning as vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, fever and weakness, adding that medical intervention should be sought promptly, particularly when the substance consumed is unknown.
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