•Mourners offering prayers at the grave of the Almajiri students who died in Kano
Four Almajiri students have died in Kano after falling ill following the consumption of suspected contaminated fish, while another student is receiving treatment in hospital.
The deceased were identified as Abdulfatah Mohammed, 15; Yusuf Nuhu, 16; Buhari Iliyasu, 14; and Ibrahim Muhammad, 22, reports Daily Trust.
The fifth student, Auwalu Surajo, 18, reportedly survived after refusing to continue eating the fish and is currently receiving medical attention.
The students were enrolled at a Tsangaya (Qur’anic) school owned by Gwani Malam Iliyasu Mai Tsangaya in Kadage Sharifai, Ungogo Local Government Area of Kano State.
Narrating how he escaped the incident, a friend of one of the deceased, Surajo Unguwar Gareji, told our correspondent that the students began eating the fish after one of them brought it out at about 7 am.
He said he tasted the fish but stopped eating after noticing that it did not taste right.
“I tasted the fish but immediately stopped eating because it did not taste normal,” he said.
Another student, Malam Umar, also said he declined to eat the fish because he suspected it was unsafe.
According to him, shortly after the other students ate the fish, four of them became unconscious and fell seriously ill.
He said the incident was reported to their teacher, who immediately arranged for the affected students to be taken to hospital.
“Unfortunately, the four of them were later confirmed dead by medical doctors at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital,” he said.
The National Chairman of the Tsangaya Media Network, Gwani Sani Musa Nuhu, had earlier said the students were rushed to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital after falling ill following the consumption of suspected contaminated food.
In a statement, he said the four students died at the hospital on Sunday night, August 16.
It was gathered that the incident occurred at the residence of Malam Iliyasu Zulyadaini, where Abdulfatah reportedly carried out domestic chores.
A resident, Malam Aliyu, said Abdulfatah usually swept the rooms and compound and allegedly found the fish beneath a chair while cleaning the premises.
He said the boy took the fish outside and shared it with his friends, apparently unaware that it might have been contaminated.
Malam Aliyu said he only became aware of the incident after the students had been taken to hospital.
He said it took some time before the circumstances surrounding the food consumed by the students became known.
The remains of the four students were later buried according to Islamic rites after approval was obtained from the district head (Dagaci) and the police.
School head loses son, relatives
The owner of the Tsangaya school, Gwani Malam Iliyasu, described the incident as a tragedy for the school and the affected families.
He said those who died included his son and members of his extended family.
Iliyasu told our correspondent that he was originally from Jigawa State and established the Qur’anic school several years ago to teach students and help them memorise the Holy Qur’an.
He said many of the students were from his village and related to him, making their deaths particularly painful for him and their families.
“Among the deceased, one was my son, and another was my brother’s son. Two others were sons of my friends,” he said.
He described the incident as a tragedy not only for his family but also for the entire Muslim community.
Iliyasu said people living around the area informed him about the incident shortly after the students fell ill.
According to him, the affected students were immediately taken to Karamchi Private Hospital for treatment. They were later referred to Waziri Gidado General Hospital, Bachirawa, before being transferred to Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital.
He said they were subsequently taken to Kano Infectious Diseases Hospital, Fagge, and finally to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, where four of them were confirmed dead.
The school head said he immediately contacted the parents of the deceased and informed them of what had happened.
He said the parents attended the funeral prayers for their children and accepted the tragedy as the will of Allah.
‘They were part of my family’
Malam Iliyasu Zulyadaini, at whose residence the incident occurred, said he was devastated by the tragedy.
He said the deceased students had been living in his residence because it was close to their school.
Zulyadaini said he was a former student of the Tsangaya school and had studied under Malam Iliyasu several years ago.
He said he had provided the students with a room in his house for several years, allowing them to live there and carry out their daily activities.
He said the students had become so close to his family that their deaths had left a deep emotional scar on everyone in the household.
Zulyadaini told our correspondent that he immediately reported the incident to the Bachirawa Divisional Police Station and accompanied the students to hospital.
Zulyadaini also said the shock of the tragedy affected his wife, who he said suffered a miscarriage and was subsequently admitted to hospital for treatment.
“It is the most difficult thing I have ever seen in my life. I will never forget it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Kano State Police Command confirmed the incident, saying an investigation was underway to establish what caused the deaths.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Abdullahi Kiyawa, said the deceased were from Sule Tankarkar Local Government Area of Jigawa State and had come to Kano to study and memorise the Qur’an.
He said the police would brief the public on the outcome of the investigation when it is concluded.
What to do after consuming contaminated food – Doctor
A Kano-based medical doctor, Dr Usman Abdullahi Nagogo, explained that food poisoning is an illness caused by consuming food or water contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or toxins.
He said common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal cramps or pain, fever and weakness.
According to him, symptoms can begin within minutes or hours of consuming contaminated food, although in some cases they may take several days to appear.
Dr Nagogo said the chances of survival were generally better when affected persons received prompt medical attention.
He advised members of the public against attempting to neutralise suspected poisons or forcing affected persons to take substances as home remedies.
He urged anyone suspected to have suffered food poisoning or poisoning from an unknown substance to seek emergency medical attention immediately and, where possible, preserve the suspected food or substance for health authorities to examine.
He also advised people not to induce vomiting unless specifically instructed to do so by a qualified medical professional or poison-control expert.
