There was pandemonium in Aule area of Akure, Ondo State capital on Wednesday as a grandmother, her three grandchildren and a family member were found dead at their home.
The grandmother, who was a mother-in-law to the father of the dead kids and the family member who was writing his National Examination Council (NECO) examination all died mysteriously.
The father of the kids, Kehinde Ajayi, 33; his wife, Banke and one of the children, Samuel are said to be in critical condition at the State Specialist Hospital and the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo.
Investigation by the detectives from the Criminal Investigative Department (CID) of the Nigeria Police have commenced investigation to unravel the cause of the multiple deaths.
There were, however, divergent views over the cause of their death, as some people believed it was food poison, while others claimed it was spiritual.
Residents of the area, in Akure South Local Government Area, woke up in the early hours of the day to find the lifeless bodies of the deceased. They also rushed those found unconscious to hospitals.
Narrating the development to newsmen, one of the neighbours, Muyideen Raheem, said the father had, last week, rushed to his house seeking assistance for some of his children who were found unconscious in the house.
“Myself and another neighbour rushed to his house and we found the children lying on the floor and we began to pray till they woke up.
“Kehinde also prayed into water and sprinkled it in the house and on the children and they got up. We advised him to take the children to the hospital for medical attention, but he said it was not hospital matter.
“On Sunday, my wife told me Kehinde came to the house to show his appreciation, but just yesterday (Tuesday), we began to hear noises. When we got to the house, we discovered that the wife’s mother, three of the children and the wife’s nephew who had come to sit for the ongoing NECO exams were already dead, while Kehinde, his wife and Samuel, their son, were still alive but unconscious,” he said.
He gave the names of the dead children as Mary, Abigael, Dara, Michael and Samuel.
At the Ondo State Specialist Hospital, the Chief Medical Director, Dr Ikuomola Ayodele, said five members of the family were brought in dead while the rest were in critical condition.
He said the husband and the son had been referred to FMC, Owo, while the wife, who has regained consciousness, “is receiving treatment at the emergency unit of the hospital.”
The CMD, however, noted the cause of their death had not been ascertained, adding that all the symptoms indicated that it could be food poisoning.