It was a gloomy day. Activities at the sleepy town of Oboso Community in Ogoja Local Government Area of Cross River State were at a standstill. As one approached the middle of the town, one did not need a soothsayer to know that the community was mourning as there were few sounds of wailing.
The bodies of Mr. and Mrs Edward Erah had just been committed to mother earth. If the heavens could open, residents of Oboso community would have followed their popular food vendors to find out where their next food outlet would be sited.
According to Punch, their restaurant which was in the news for the wrong reason for most of the week is located at Aragbang-Oboso Roundabout in Oboso Mbube-East of Ogoja LGA of Cross River State.
The couple died March 24 after eating a melon soup delicacy combined with cassava flour (garri) that they prepared for members of the public. Unknown to the late couple, someone who had vowed to carry out a revenge mission as a punishment for the whole community, had added poison to the food put up for sale. Over 50 others, who came to have their favourite delicacy at the restaurant, were hospitalised at the General Hospital in Ogoja.
Like every other day, the late Mrs. Anna Erah, it was learnt, cooked food for members of the public who chose the joint to have their meal. Her late husband, Mr. Edward Erah, also sold palm-wine at the same venue.
Until her death last Friday, Mrs. Erah had operated the food joint for eight years where customers always preferred to cluster under the shade provided by a large tree in the compound to consume their meal.
It was learnt that many people patronised the deceased food joint because she knew how to cook, without knowing that danger was lurking around the corner on that day.
The food was allegedly poisoned by a 35-year-old, Paul Nchui, who was said to have been banished from the community following his involvement in criminal activities. He was alleged to have paid someone else to carry out the hatchet job for him.
As was customary, the late Mr and Mrs Erah were the first to eat of the delicacy, unknown to them that it had been poisoned. The food vendor later proceeded to sell the food to her customers.
The couple were said to have died few hours after consuming the meal while not less than 50 others who ate the same meal were rushed to the hospital after showing signs of vomiting and other symptoms.
At the burial venue of the couple on Wednesday, mourners in their numbers paid their last tribute to the deceased couple who left behind five children whose ages ranged from 12 to three years.
Majority of the mourners had declined comments while the bereaved kids were shielded from public glare.
However, a resident of the community, Mr. Raphael Abang, said that the food poison saga was engineered by Nchui and executed by one Mr. Peter Odido.
He noted that Nchui, who was ostracised from the community on account of his various alleged atrocities, had promised to revenge some day but little did the community know that that was how he (Nchui) was going to make good his threat.
He said, “The food vendors who died had operated the place for about eight years now. The junction where the food joint is sited is a mini-daily market where people come to buy and sell. She sold food such as garri and rice, while the late husband sold palm wine at the same spot.
“Nchui, aged 35, was banished from Oboso Community after committing a lot of atrocities. He had promised to unleash his anger on the dwellers to the detriment of all notwithstanding who was involved.
“It was alleged that he (Nchui) is a secret cult member and has tried to infiltrate this bad blood into some youths in the area. He was caught several times when he tried to organise cult initiation for the youths. He is into drugs and secretly sells marijuana.”
Another mourner, who identified herself as Mabel Itoro, said Oboso community abhorred drug dealers.
“The community forbids the kind of habit that he displayed. He has been caught with charms on some occasions. The Police Division at Ogoja had in the past arrested him for his nefarious activities and for breaching public peace.
“He left the community for safety after the angry youths confiscated his properties and burnt them at the popular Oboso roundabout. According to what I heard, that was what led to his plot to unleash mayhem that left two dead and 46 hospitalised,” she said.
Nearly all the survivors have been treated and discharged from the General Hospital in Ogoja, but a few of them recounted their ordeal.
One of the survivors who identified himself as Sam Obi said he immediately took palm oil when he got the wind that those who ate Mrs. Erah’s food on that day were falling sick.
He said, “I ate the food and when we heard that people who ate food at Mrs. Erah’s mini -restaurant were falling sick as a result of suspected food poisoning, I quickly rushed to take palm oil and after a short while, I saw myself at the General Hospital Ogoja.
“I cannot recount how I was taken there but some of my friends said I fell down and was foaming and vomiting blood. I thank God I am alive today. I guess that most of those who ate from that restaurant that day resorted to drinking palm oil to neutralise the poison.”
Another survivor, Ijen Odey, said, “After eating the food, I saw people falling. I was still strong and had to call my friend Clement whom we ate the food together that we should go to the hospital ourselves before falling down too. He accepted. Clement took his bike quickly and we left for Ogoja town.
“Just about four kilometres into our journey to Ogoja, I noticed that Clement’s hands were getting stiff and we fell down along the road. He was unconscious, no one to help. I took the bike and ran to Odajie a neighbouring community. I explained to the youths I met and they left to carry Clement. Not long after, I also passed out. We later saw each other in the hospital the next day. I am fine now,” he said.
Shortly after the incident happened, the village head of Oboso, Clement Ori, said the community was rattled by the incident.
He said, “The melon soup was poisoned by someone who was banished to a neighbouring community as a personal vendetta against our community. The culprit has been arrested.
Meanwhile, the member representing Yala-Ogoja federal constituency in the National Assembly, Mr. Jarigbe Agom, visited the surviving victims at the hospital before they were discharged.
It was learnt that he took charge of the hospital bills of the survivors and promised to support them in other ways.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, said that the police trailed the suspect to his hide-out in the Oboso community where he was arrested.
She said, “One Paul Nchui, a suspect who poisoned a restaurant in Oboso community in Ogoja has been arrested. The suspect is in our custody, we will charge him to court as soon as we conclude our investigation.”
Ugbo, who did not state the reason for the suspect’s action, however, said that some victims of the food poison have been discharged.
It was learnt that Nchui had revealed in the police custody that he used an accomplice to orchestrate his plot after paying the sum of N10, 000 to the accomplice.
“Paul Nchui has revealed in police custody that he used his accomplice Peter Odido to carry out the deadly operation. Odido has also been arrested and he confessed to the crime,” a police source said.
Despite the sad development, some food vendor patrons, said they would still continue to patronise other vendors.
A commercial motorcycle rider, John Akpan, said, “Well, it was unfortunate that this kind of thing happened here. It has never happened before and we pray it never does again. But I will still patronise ‘mama put’ for convenience sometimes,” he said.
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