Family of Six Wiped Out By Wall Gecko
The sprawling neighbourhood in Ogun State has been thrown into mourning after a family of six was discovered stone dead in the early hours of Friday.
The cause of death is suspected food poisoning after a wall gecko had allegedly walked on their food.
The victims are identified as Mr Adeleke John Samuel, a Chartered Accountant, his wife, two children and two other relatives.
A source said, they are believed to have kicked the bucket after eating the food the wall gecko walked into.
The sad event was uncovered when their gateman, Mr Lawal Ojo suspected the unusual quietness in the house at full break of the day.
He alerted neighbours who broke into the house only to discover the bodies of the victims in different rooms.
They were all in the sleeping posture, the source said, indicating that they probably passed on in their sleep.
According to an eyewitness: Mrs Ifenatuora Ijeoma, the poison might have been ingested in the course of the family’s dinner the previous night.
She reiterated that, on close inspection of the kitchen utensils, a dead wall gecko was discovered inside a pot of soup by one of the neighbours.
Wall Gecko, a small slippery house lizard native to SouthEast Asia is now found across the world.
It had, at different times, been associated with lethal food poisoning.
According to a medical practitioner who simply identified himself as Dr Omotosho: a biologist , “Geckos are ordinarily harmless. However, the lizard carries lots of bacteria in the mouth which can cause serious harm when ingested by humans.”
The police had waded into the matter, even as the cause of death still remained a subject of investigation.
Findings show the deceased man was aged 55, the wife, Mrs. Pamela Adeleke, 50, the children roughly between 13 and 19 years old.
