A family of six—comprising a father, mother, three children, and a relative—lost their lives after consuming a meal suspected to be poisoned.
The victims, identified as Barnabas Ikeze, his wife, and their four children from the Umu-Aneke clan, had gone to bed after taking their evening meal on August 29.
They were from Neke Akpani autonomous community in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State.
According to reports, the family ate a meal at their home, They woke up in the morning with stomach pain.
Neighbours and relations immediately rushed them to FaithLand Clinic, a hospital in a neighbouring community in Ikem.
On the way, one of the children, identified as Divine Ikeze, died, and Gift Ikeze, the only daughter, died upon arrival at the hospital.
This left four family members: Barnabas, his wife Angela, their first son Marvelous, and their last child Victor. Unfortunately, they also died on Sunday night, August 31, with only the first son, Marvelous, surviving.
The deceased brother, Pastor Ikeze Ignatius, the elder brother of the late Barnabas, described the incident as traumatic.
He disclosed he was not around when the incident happened, having gone for a conference in Abuja and returning on Saturday, August 30.
He narrated, “I was told that my brother and all his family were in the hospital at Ikem, and that two of them had already died – the daughter and one of the sons.”
When he visited the hospital on Sunday, August 31, he saw his brother, his wife, and two other sons alive.
However, later that night, his brother, wife, and last child died.
Pastor Ignatius alleged that a man named Nicholas Anyanwu, who had a land dispute with their family, might be responsible for the incident. According to him, Nicholas Anyanwu had openly threatened to kill his brother during a clan meeting a week before the incident.
He said, “When I came, my brother Barnabas told me that he was hungry, and I bought food for them. The other two sons were also recovering. We all chatted. Although the wife was still on oxygen, she was responding to greetings.
“She was just recovering, and in the evening, I went out, and one of my sisters was taking care of them. When I returned in the evening, she narrated a story of what happened, that one man who was suspected to have been responsible for my brother’s family condition, Mr Nicholas Anyanwu, came all the way from our community to the hospital in a neighbouring community to see whether they had all died.”
“When he came, he stood at the door. Then one nurse, after discussing with him, was calling my sister to distract her, but she refused,” Pastor Ignatius narrated in tears. “Thereafter, the man who came with another young man then went away with the nurse.”
He further narrated a shocking incident where a nurse allegedly removed the oxygen from his brother’s wife’s nose and was putting something in her mouth. When he confronted her, she dashed out of the room without explanation.
He said, “Around 9 – 10 pm, after they had taken their medications and slept, one nurse came in and told us that it was not convenient for the two children to stay in the same ward with their parents, that there was a room she had prepared that she would take the children there while their parents remained where they were.
“I was even thinking it was for good intentions and thanked her. Then she told one of my two sisters, who was there with me, to carry the last child, and they left the room. I followed them to the nurses’ room, and we sat down. The nurse later returned to where my brother and wife were staying and called out one of my sisters and my brother’s first son. All of them came out to stay with us. Then there was no one left in the room with my brother and wife. Immediately, I remembered what my sister told me earlier in the day.
“So, I rose and rushed to their room and saw the nurse remove the oxygen from my brother’s wife’s nose. She removed it and was putting something inside her mouth. Instantly, I shouted, ‘Nurse, what are you doing?’ The only thing was that my phone had run out of power, otherwise I would have videoed the scene. So, immediately, I shook her, and she left.
“So, I was shouting and following her as she dashed out of the room without any explanation. One doctor came out of their office and started questioning why I was disturbing them. I told him what happened. I was confused in the midst of the whole thing without any explanation from the hospital.
“The next thing I did was take my motorcycle, drive to my community that night, and inform the pastor of my brother. I explained to them what had happened, we consulted another man, then we went to the police station in Ikem that night and reported the whole thing.”
The family reported the incident to the police, who promised to arrest the nurse and the suspect. However, before they could return to the hospital, Barnabas and his last child had died.
The first son, Marvelous, was the only survivor and was taken to ESUT Parklane Teaching Hospital, then Niger Foundation Specialist Hospital, and later referred to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) for further treatment.
The police later arrested the principal suspect and brought him to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).
The nurse was also arrested, accompanied by her husband and the doctor who owns the hospital.
The doctor asked Pastor Ignatius not to pursue the case, but he refused, seeking justice for his brother’s family.
He revealed that even the doctor asked him not to make a case with the matter and allow the dead to rest, “but my brother’s soul and that of his family members will not rest without justice”.
“I want justice for my brother, his wife, and his three children. They deserve justice, and we are appealing to the government of Enugu State to ensure that justice is served in this matter,” he stated.
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