A man, who identified himself as Mallam Umaru, has lost his two wives and five children after dining together in the Yabo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, in Nigeria.

Suspecting that his wives and children died from food poisoning, Umaru said the leftover of the food the victims ate the previous night was left outside for preservation.

According to him, the preserved food was then mixed with another prepared food the victims ate, after which they all died.

Umaru, however, said he had handed over the corpses and remnants of the consumed food to the management of a hospital and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). He trusts they will unravel the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

Commiserating with the aggrieved family, the Chairman of Yabo local government, where Umaru lives with his family, Haliru Kilgori advised members of the public to take caution.

“It is necessary to see what happened and take action and ensure that food and drinks are covered at all times,” the chairman said.

A senior health worker in Sokoto State Ministry of Health, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, has confirmed the incident, saying the food the victims ate was exposed to air over the night.

According to the health worker, the exposure may have led to the food getting contaminated and harmful for human consumption.

Confirming the incident, Sokoto State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Sanusi Abubakar, promised to address members of the public on the matter later, as he said an investigation was ongoing to unravel the cause of their mysterious deaths.