Authorities have confirmed that a suspected cholera outbreak, not poisonous rice is the cause of recent deaths in Zongo, a Hausa/Fulani settlement in Badagry, Lagos State.
Dr. Dorcas Oladunjoye, Medical Officer of Health for Badagry West Local Council Development Area (LCDA), told journalists on Thursday that the deaths were linked to poor sanitation and contaminated water in the community.
Panic had spread in the area earlier this month after rumours circulated that residents died from eating allegedly poisoned rice seized from smugglers and sold by Customs officers. The Seme Area Customs Command quickly denied the claims, calling them false and misleading.
Oladunjoye said the truth came to light after a patient from the Seme area was rushed to a health centre in Ajara, Badagry, with severe vomiting and diarrhoea — symptoms consistent with cholera.
“When we visited the community with our health team, we found several people sick with the same symptoms,” she said. “We contacted the Lagos State Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies. There is no evidence of poisoned rice; this is a clear case of a waterborne disease, likely cholera.”
Food and water samples have been collected for lab testing, though results are still pending.
Health officials describe the living conditions in Zongo as “alarmingly unsanitary,” with residents lacking access to clean water. According to Mr. Sao Temitope, a medical laboratory officer, “Safe water is nonexistent. This is a public health crisis.”
In response, the council chairman, Hon. Joseph Gbenu, has launched a rapid response plan. Health educators will begin a community-wide campaign on water purification, hygiene, and safe food handling.
This comes after the Oglogbo Community Development Association (CDA) raised the alarm on May 6, warning of a surge in unexplained deaths within five days and urging residents to maintain proper hygiene and boil their water.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation as they work to prevent the outbreak from spreading further.
