By Deborah Nnamdi
A family of four has died in Chatta village, Hawul Local Government Area of Borno State, in what is suspected to be a case of generator fume poisoning.
The deceased have been identified as Yakubu Samanja, his wife Esther Yakubu, and their two children, Amos and Maryamu Yakubu.
According to residents, the family may have died from inhaling toxic fumes emitted by a generator. A relative, Ibrahim Samanja, said he discovered the bodies on Tuesday morning after repeated attempts to reach the family failed.
“I arrived around 7 a.m. and knocked several times with no response. That raised my suspicion, so I forced the door open and found them all dead,” he said.
Local authorities and health officials were alerted and later confirmed the deaths. The bodies were transferred to Marama General Hospital for further examination.
Community members expressed deep sorrow over the loss, noting that the family had appeared healthy and showed no signs of distress before the incident.
Preliminary findings revealed no evidence of violence or forced entry, lending further weight to the theory of generator fume poisoning.
Spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, confirmed the incident and said investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of death.