In the quiet community of Ohuepe in Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State, a simple family dinner of amala has left a widow, known as Mama Rahama, struggling to understand how an everyday meal became a source of unimaginable tragedy.

She recalls buying cassava flour from a local market, as she had done many times before. That evening, she prepared amala for her husband, Rahama, and their children, serving it as the family gathered for dinner. Only her youngest, four-year-old Mikail, refused to eat. She herself took just a few mouthfuls, still weak after a recent hospital discharge.

By the next morning, the home was gripped by fear. Those who had eaten the meal began to complain of intense weakness, stomach pains and vomiting. The symptoms worsened rapidly. “My husband, Rahama, and my children, Rabiyat and Samad, ate more of the food,” she recounted. “I could only manage a little. By the time we realised something was wrong, it was already too late.”

Four of them were rushed to Ado Ozuka Hospital in Ogaminana. Within hours, the family was torn apart. First, young Rabiyat died. Then Samad. Finally, her husband succumbed. Only Mama Rahama and Mikail survived. She believes the small quantity she ate, and Mikail’s refusal to touch the food, saved their lives.

Now discharged from hospital, she faces life as a widow and grieving mother, appealing to the Kogi State Government and well-meaning individuals for support as she tries to rebuild what is left of her family.

Their ordeal is not an isolated case. In nearby Ikoyi, Ihima, another cassava-based meal has been linked to the deaths of four children from two different families. Nine people reportedly ate the food one evening, with some consuming leftovers the next morning. Residents say those affected developed sudden weakness, followed by diarrhoea and vomiting of blood. A dog that ate some of the leftovers also died.

The two incidents have plunged the area into mourning and raised urgent questions about food safety. Local authorities say samples of the cassava flour and remnants of the meals have been sent to a laboratory in Lokoja for analysis. State officials have ordered a full investigation to determine whether contamination, improper processing of cassava or other environmental or medical factors are to blame.

As the community waits for answers, families like that of Mama Rahama are left with memories of an ordinary meal that changed everything.