The industrial settlement of Obajana, in the Lokoja area of Kogi State has been thrown into mourning following the discovery of the decomposing bodies of a man, his wife and their two children.
The man was identified as Mr. John Ayodele.
The family of four was suspected to have been killed by fumes from a generator in their house.
The late Ayodele was reported to have been last seen on Friday, July 28, 2017.
Apprehension set in on Saturday when calls to his mobile telephone went unanswered.
His cousin, Chief Richard Asaje, said people had gone to check on him at home following the stench emanating from his house, adding that policemen from the Obajana division were also alerted to the suspicion.
He said when the door was forced open, the decomposing bodies were discovered.
Asaje explained that generator fumes were suspected as the cause of the deaths following the discovery of a generator on the premises.
He said, “The incident was discovered around 12am on Saturday. He put a generator inside his toilet and locked the door and window.
“Unfortunately, we never knew something had happened. The second day, we forced the door open because of the stench emanating from the house and found their dead bodies.”
The cousin said the bodies had been deposited in the Kogi State Specialist Hospital mortuary, Lokoja.
“The man should be about 35, but the wife was less than 30 years old. Their daughter was about four years old, while the second child, a boy, was about three months old. We do not suspect any foul play. This has thrown our family into serious mourning.
“They will be buried on Friday, August 4, 2017, at the Obajana Cemetery,” Asaje added.
The Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, William Aya, said, “Four people died and we got the information. A Divisional Police Officer went to the place and took the bodies to the mortuary. The cause of death is yet to be ascertained. It is the autopsy that will ascertain the cause,” he said.
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 the Environment, Mrs. Rosemary Osikoya, told PUNCH Metro that her ministry would liaise with other agencies in the sensitisation of the public to the dangers of carbon dioxide and monoxide in their environment.
“Looking at it from the environmental point of view and the circumstantial evidence available, we have a generator put in an enclosed place, so that possibly could lead to poisoning.
“But until investigations are complete, there may not be much we can do other than to sensitise the public to the dangers of allowing their generators to be within their houses.
“It should be kept far away from the house. Carbon monoxide is harmful. It leads to most of the environmental challenges we are having, including flooding. We sympathise with the family and we hope that we take care of our environment and keep our surroundings clean,” the commissioner added.
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