A mother in Benin City, identified as, Mrs Ata Buhari has
mistakenly served her 18-month-old baby with kerosene instead of water, which
led to her death hours later.
The tragic incident occurred at Iguma Street, Off Orewere
Street, Medical Stores Road, Benin-City, about 10am. Vanguard learnt that the
child requested for water, but Mrs. Buhari, who sells kerosene, gave him the
product stored in a beverage can thinking it was water.
She was shocked when
the child spat out the kerosene, prompting the mother to cry for help.
It was learnt that minutes after swallowing the product, the
little child’s eyes turned white, while screaming in pains. At this point,
neighbours rushed to assist, forced the child to gulp some red oil before
rushing him to hospital. The child died before receiving further treatment from
the hospital.
Lamenting her ordeal, Mrs. Buhari, a native of Kogi State,
regretted that one of her children had filled an empty can of beverage with
water which they took to the shop that fateful morning, noting, however, that a
similar container in which she stored kerosene was equally kept in her shop
and, sadly, when the child complained of thirst, she mistakenly picked the one
filled with kerosene and gave to the child.
The father of the child, Mr. Buhari Hassan, a bricklayer,
said he was called to the hospital where he met the corpse of his only son.
He appealed to Edo State government and kind-hearted
individuals to assist him as the family lives in abject poverty.
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