Family of seven: Surviving child dies as more details emerges on their death

The Director General of the  Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, has confirmed that the only survivor in family of seven, whose corpses were found in a room in Lagos on Wednesday, has also died.

Oke-Osanyintolu confirmed the development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Thursday.

He said the child was pronounced dead by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.

According to him, the child, who was rushed to LASUTH for further treatment when the corpses of her parents, siblings and a guest were discovered, has also been confirmed dead.

He stated, “Kazeem Zakariya, his wife and five children, all residents of No. 19 Olowora Street, Mafoluku, who were rushed to the Divine Hospital on that same street on Wednesday, were confirmed dead.

“LASEMA has done the needful. We took the bodies, including the last child, who has also died, to the mortuary at LASUTH for autopsy and further investigation.”

Oke-Osanyintolu said the cause of the tragedy was unknown, adding that investigation was ongoing on the matter.

The corpses of Kazeem Zakariya, an electrician; his wife, Aminat; three of their children, Aliya, Firidaus and Taye, and a guest, Wasilat, were discovered in the family’s one-room apartment.

Neighbours discovered that all the family members and their guest were lying on the floor with foamy substances and blood on their mouths.

Kazeem, Aliya, Firidaus, Taye and Wasilat were said to have died by the time neighbours forced their way into the room, while Aminat and her daughter, Kehinde, were found unconscious and were rushed to the Divine Hospital, Mafoluku, where the woman also lost her life.

Kehinde was said to be responding to treatment as of the time of filing this report.

An eyewitness, Abdulkareem Akeju, said the victims most likely died of food poisoning, adding that the incident shocked neighbours and residents of the area.

 A visit to the scene of the incident revealed that the Oshodi-Isolo Local Government had sealed off the building in order to protect the other tenants.

One of the residents, Mr Kamoru Ajayi, said the death of the family members was a shock to everyone in the house.

He said Kazeem died with his pregnant wife, four children and a cousin, who came to spend her holiday with them, adding that the family lived in the house for over 13 years.

He said a customer, who wanted to buy a bag from Aminat, came and knocked on their room’s door, but nobody answered and the co-tenants assisted her to open the door only to discover that four of them were already dead.

An official of the Divine Hospital said Aminat and her foetus were already dead before they family members were rushed to the hospital.

One of the landlord’s daughters, Mrs Adija Badaru, said Aminat prepared dinner on Tuesday night and her 17-year-old daughter, who shared the meal with them, is still alive.