Two dead, 8 hospitalised after tea at Kano wedding

Two persons have been confirmed dead after drinking tea prepared with local leaf popularly called Zakami at a wedding held over the weekend in Sheka, Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State.

The Ward Head of the area, Usman Musa Zakari confirmed this to journalist who visited the area on Wednesday.

This was contrary to unconfirmed reports that put the figure of persons who lost their lives at seven or more.

Zakari gave names of the two victims who lost their lives as Mubarak Bala, also known as Diga, and Ibrahim Khalil.

According to him, “it is true that the incident happened when the persons drank from a tea prepared with a local leaf called Zakami and a combination of other drugs.

“Two persons died and eight others were hospitalised.

“There are different versions of the stories being peddled.

“But I delegated persons to go on a fact-finding mission. And what we gathered was that only two persons lost their lives.

“Someone told me four persons lost their lives and I ask him to take me to the houses but he later told me that the figure was hearsay. So it is not true.

“Some also said seven died and that others were missing. All these are not true. Nobody is missing. They are not even strangers, as they are from across the streets nearby.

“There are other eight persons who were hospitalised after drinking from the tea but they have all been discharged and going about with their day-to-day activities,” Zakari stated.

Contacted, the spokesperson of the Kano State Police Command, SP Abdullahi Haruna, said no formal report was made, but promised to make enquiry and get across to Vanguard.