Generator Fume Kills Family of Four in Kogi

Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja
Dead bodies of a family of four have been found inside their building already decomposing at Obajana community of Lokoja local government council of Kogi State caused by generator fume.
The decomposing bodies of a man, his wife and two children were found inside their building yesterday by their neighbours.

 The man was identified as John Oluwasegun Ayodele.  They were suspected to have been killed by fume from a power generator in the house.

The late Ayodele was reported to have been last seen on July 28, 2017.
Apprehension reportedly set in when the deceased was not seen by his neighbours for sometimes.   His Cousin, Chief Richard Asaje, said they have gone to check on him at home following the stench that was emanating from his house after his phone line was not connecting.

Consequently, policemen from Obajana Division were alerted, and when the door was forced open, the decomposing bodies were discovered.

Asaje explained that power generator fume was suspected as the cause, following the discovery of a power generator there.
According to him, “The incident happened between last Friday/Saturday. It should be around 12 midnight last Saturday.

“He put a generator inside his toilet and locked the door. The house is a concrete building and it was discovered that he also locked the window.
“Unfortunately, we never knew something had happened the second day, so we forced the door open following the stench emanating from the house.”
The deceased cousin said their corpses have since been deposited at the Kogi State Specialist Hospital Lokoja.

 “The husband should be around 35, but the wife is less than 30 years. The daughter who also died is around four years and the last born, boy, is about three months.
“To us as a family, it is a shocking thing, but there is no suspect because their death was caused by the fume of the generator. It has indeed thrown the family into mourning mood,” he stated.

  Describing the incident as sudden and unnatural, the state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP William Aya, said: “Four people died, and we got the information.  The police Divisional Police Officer went to the place and evacuated the body to the mortuary.
“The cause of the death is yet to be ascertained. It is the autopsy that will ascertain the cause of the death.”

  Meanwhile the Kogi State Government has sent a team to Obajana to investigate the circumstances that led to the death of the family of four.  The state Commissioner for Environment, Mrs. Rosemary Osikoya, who led government team to the scene, explained that her ministry would liaise with other agencies in the sensitisation of the public on the dangers of carbon dioxide and monoxide in their environment.

  “Looking at it from the  environmental point of view and the circumstantial evidence available, where we have a generator in an enclosed place if what we hear is correct, you will find out that there is not enough of the fume going out, so that possibly could lead to poisoning.  “But until the investigations are complete, there may not be much we could do other than to sensitise the public that it is dangerous to allow their generator to be within their house or sitting rooms,” she stated.