The Anambra State Police Command has alleged that the youths of Ekwulumili, in Nnewi South Local Government Area of the state, where six siblings died following an alleged food poisoning were impeding investigations on the matter.

It would be recalled that the state Police Command swung into action to unravel the mystery behind the death of the six children, but the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ali Okechukwu said the youths in the area were hostile to the investigating police team.

He said: “We don’t know what their problem is. They are hostile to our men. On the day the incident happened, they didn’t allow our men to enter the community to carry out investigation as they blocked the roads.

“We are surprised that even the relations of the deceased children are not coming up with information on this issue.”

Ali also said the chairman of the community’s vigilance group had officially reported the matter to the police, adding that the Divisional Police Officer in the area had also been mandated to fully investigate the matter.

When News Express visited the home of the deceased children, the compound was as quiet as a grave yard with nobody in sight to speak to our reporter.

An elderly woman who was seen in the neighborhood said that the relations of the mother of the deceased children came and took her away while the whereabouts of the husband could not be ascertained. However, information gathered from neighbors has it that the children were found dead at the weekend while some people attributed their death to food poisoning.

Though our source said that the siblings died on the night their parents had a quarrel with a neighbour before their dinner, another source revealed that the parents of the children were ill and the eldest child was told to go to the market and buy some food items and cook.

In the words of the source who didn’t want his name mentioned, “The girl went to the market and after cooking they ate and started dropping dead one after another except for the last child who refused to eat.” He however, could not explain the type of meal the children took.

•Photo shows Anambra Police Commissioner Hosea Karma.

Update news