A disturbing incident occurred on Wednesday at Akaajime community in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State when a mother and her four children were discovered unconscious inside their home. Sadly, one of the children, a four-year-old boy, was confirmed dead before help could reach them.
According to reports, neighbours rushed the victims to a private hospital in Gboko after a family member, Mohivinze Terkura, raised an alarm. Terkura, who narrowly escaped the tragedy, explained that she had slept at her aunt’s house the previous night due to heavy rainfall.
“When I got home around 10 a.m., the door was still locked from inside. After several attempts to open it failed, I forced it open and found my mother and siblings unconscious,” she told journalists. “With the help of neighbours, we took them to the hospital, but my younger brother had already passed away.”
Terkura added that she noticed a strange chemical-like smell similar to cooking gas in the room, even though the family neither owned a gas cooker nor used insecticides beyond mosquito nets.
One of the surviving children, who was later revived at the hospital, said he had woken up to prepare for school but could not move from the bed. “I called our mother, but she did not respond. Everyone was unconscious until my sister returned and found us,” he recounted, expressing grief over his brother’s death.
Dr. Joshua Atime of Vawar Hospital, Akaajime, confirmed that the victims were initially treated at his facility before being referred to the General Hospital, Gboko, for further care.
The Chairman of Gboko Local Government Area, Torseer Yina, stated he had not yet received an official report on the incident but became aware of it through social media. Efforts to obtain comments from the Benue State Police Command were unsuccessful as the command’s spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, did not respond to calls or messages.
