A pregnant housewife who refused to heed her daughter’s warning not to cook beans suspected to be contaminated, was among the six persons reported to have died after eating the beans meal. The incident, which involved three families in Arabatu and Gwai villages of Mariga and Gurara Local Government Areas of Niger State state, occurred recently.

Our correspondent gathered from reliable sources in one of the affected villages that Malam Suleiman Chindo, one of the family heads, had warned his household members not to cook the beans he brought to the house because he suspected the beans to be contaminated due to its bad odour.

However, few days after the warning, the first wife of Chindo, Halimah Cigoro, decided to cook the suspected contaminated beans.

A reliable source told our reporter that immediately after eating the beans, Halima and two of her children died.

A goat also died after eating the beans cooked by Halima.

Our correspondent has gathered that the late Halima was advised by her eldest daughter, Rukaiya not to cook the beans but her warning failed to stop her mother from cooking the beans.

Five persons from a neighbouring house were also reported to have been affected by the suspected poisonous substance in the beans.

The affected persons also utilised the mortar and pestle used by the deceased to crush the suspected poisonous beans in the course of preparing the meal. All the five persons were rushed to a hospital where they received treatment.

The district head of Shadadi, Malam Ibrahim Madugu, confirmed the unfortunate incident, saying that the dead people were buried in accordance with Islamic injunctions. The other two families that suffered similar fate were that of Ayuba Kislim and Mohammed Kure.