At least, five persons have lost their lives while many others have been hospitalised after consuming a beans meal prepared as ‘love feast’ known as ‘ipese’ at a white garment church in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
According to The Punch, the incident occurred last Sunday, September 22, 2024, at the unnamed church located at Apata area in Ido local government area of the state.
Health officials at the Infectious Disease Centre, Olodo, in Egbeda Local Government Area of Oyo State where the affected persons were taken to, confirmed the death of the five worshippers, adding that scores were brought into the centre for emergency treatment.
A staff of the Infectious Disease Centre told the newspaper under anonymity that 50 of the victims who were rushed to the centre had been treated and discharged.
“Some of the affected people were brought here for treatment. So far, 50 have been discharged, while others are still receiving care,” the official said.
Also confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Oyo State Command, Adewale Osifeso, confirmed the incident.
Osifeso said investigations were ongoing on the incident.
Although the incident has thrown the community into a state of confusion, however, a church source, who requested anonymity, revealed that it was yet to be established whether the meal was responsible for the deaths or not.
“I ate the same beans that everyone else, including the victims, ate, and nothing happened to me,” the source said, wondering if the ‘Ipese’ was responsible for the incident as being claimed by some people.
“Various government agencies, including the Police, DSS, media outlets, and even the World Health Organization, have been here to investigate. Their findings haven’t been made public yet, but I can assure you it’s not about Ipese,” the source stated.
