18 Pupils Hospitalised After Eating Government’s Free Food

An investigation into the alleged case of food poisoning at James Primary School B in Owo-Ope, Osogbo, has been launched by the Osun State Government.

Following a midday lunch of rice and egg provided to them under the state government’s free school food plan, eighteen students from the school were reportedly admitted to the hospital.

Panic was brought on by the Monday, December 11, 2023, occurrence, especially in the case of the parents of the students involved.

According to a statement released by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, on Tuesday, Governor Ademola Adeleke also ordered that food preparation at the impacted school be stopped until the investigations’ findings were known.

The patients have reportedly received treatment and been released from hospitals.

“Osun State Government has ordered full investigations into the reported cases of food poisoning at St James primary School B, Owoope Osogbo,” the statement read.

“The State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, directed immediate action when the matter was reported to him by the Special Adviser on O-Meal, Mrs Grace Ayodele. The Governor has subsequently directed the stoppage of further food cooking at the affected school pending the outcome of the investigations.

“The affected cooks in the said schools alongside the planning officer for the O-Meal programme have also been summoned to a meeting by Tuesday morning. Additionally, the governor has directed enforcement of food standards and control as well as the auditing of the O-Meal structure to forestall future occurrences.

“Meanwhile, the government is settling the medical bills of the affected students as narrated by the Chairman of the Local Government Education Authority, Mr Nathaniel Ojetola. The LGEA Chairman who was at the forefront of the intervention efforts disclosed that a total number of 18 students were treated and discharged.

“The total student population of the school is 200 while 103 are within the population receiving food from the O-Meal Programme. A government delegation is also visiting families of the affected students.”

“I have invited a doctor to treat my children. Other parents took their children to the hospital but I have a doctor relation who helped me. My children are receiving treatment inside,” she added.

Three victims are shown undergoing drip in a web video.

One of the patients described how they started running stool after being offered rice and eggs, which is how they got sick.

The victims’ mothers reported that on Monday, when their kids got home from school, they smelled something bad in the egg that was served to them.

Concerning the food the seller offered them, they stated that shortly after returning from school, their children began to urinate.

Iya Taye, a mom of three students at the school, told the Nation that her kids felt weak when they got home from school after throwing up and frequently threw up.

She attested to the fact that her kids became uncomfortable after consuming the meal at school.

A reputable source within the school attested to the fact that more than fifty students were impacted in some manner by the reported food poisoning.