Limbe in Panic & Grief As Three Persons Die Of Food Poisoning

-Five persons arrested for interrogation including 12-year-old girl
By Ticha Melanis in Limbe
Three persons were on Thursday 8 August confirmed dead in Limbe shortly after they ate poisoned 'fufu corn and njama njama' at their home.
    Gladys Ebai, 66, and Sheila Ebai, 38, were declared dead on arrival at the Limbe regional hospital, while Sharon Ebai, 3, died minutes after arriving at the hospital.
Hospital authorities concluded after routine medical examination and observation that the deaths could be due to consumption of food poisoned with the pesticide, 'Mukap'.

    According Dr Denis Nsame, Director of Limbe regional hospital, eight other persons from the same family who were under medical observation have been discharged because they responded positively to treatment.
    "We did active management on the rest of the patients by carrying out anti-biotherapy, fluid therapy and more. But they are still under observation as outdoor patients. Preliminary laboratory investigation when the cases arrived the hospital were suggestive that the symptoms were the result of neurotoxin syndrome because the nerves were intoxicated. Further investigations suggested that the pesticide “mukap” could have been infused in the food. An autopsy report is awaited," Doctors said. 
Dr Zikirou Mbangawoh who was on duty when the cases were brought to the hospital said they came at about 6:30pm with two persons dead on arrival.
    When after investigation we discovered that it was food poisoning, we ordered for the rest of the family that ate the food to be brought to the hospital for check up, and for a sample of the food to be tested to ascertain the cause of the deaths. 

    "On arriving the house, 3-year old Ebai Sharon was also having the same signs and symptoms. We did our best to save her life but she died minutes later," Dr Zikirou recounted.
    “We did gastric lavage to flush out the toxic contents from the stomachs of the other patients and we succeeded to stabilize all the vital signs of the victims,” he said.
    According to one of the survivors, she was in her room battling with flu when on coming to the parlour, she discovered the mother of the house Ebai Gladys convulsing, and her daughter Ebai Shelia already lying stiff. She alerted the others and they we rushed to the hospital. The youngest of the victims is 8 months old.
    Some five persons were arrested by the police in connection with the dreadful death of the three members of the Ebai family on Friday. Among those arrested was a 12-year old girl whom some news reports said to had confessed to actually putting poison in the food that killed the three persons. The girl said she did so in anger after she was scolded at, according to a report by The Advocate.
  The Median however, learned at press time on Monday that all the five persons arrested were later released for lack of sufficient incriminating evidence.

Fru Ndi Visits Bereaved Family
    Meanwhile, the Chairman of the SDF party, John Fru Ndi, paid a visit to the Ebai family on Sunday. Fru Ndi who came alongside his deputy, Hon. Joshua Osih, said he was attending a meeting in Douala when he learned of the sad news.
    He said they came to Limbe to condole with the family and say 'ashia' to the surviving victims.
    Unfortunately, Fru Ndi’s well-intentioned visit was questioned albeit stupidly and controversially by a local, inconsequential village chief in Limbe.     .

A doctor on call said 12 in all ate the contaminated food. Incidentally, the first two persons to die were the ones that prepared the food. They died 30 minutes after eating the food.