A medical official in Badagry West Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Dr Dorcas Oladunjoye, has clarified that the recent wave of deaths in Zongo, a Hausa/Fulani settlement in Badagry, is due to a suspected cholera outbreak, not poisoned rice as previously rumoured.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Dr Oladunjoye revealed that the health crisis first came to light two weeks ago when a patient from Zongo was admitted to a healthcare facility in Ajara, Badagry, presenting with vomiting and diarrhoea.
“It was the patient who made us aware that many residents had been experiencing similar symptoms, with some already deceased,” Oladunjoye stated.
Acting on this information, a medical team visited the community with the approval of its leader, the Seriki, and found several others displaying signs of the same illness. Cholera, a waterborne disease, was immediately suspected. Dr Oladunjoye said the team promptly alerted the Lagos State Ministry of Health and other relevant authorities.
“There is absolutely no evidence of poisonous rice being the cause of the deaths. The conditions in Zongo are extremely unsanitary, and their water sources are highly contaminated,” she added, dismissing speculation that rice allegedly released by the Nigeria Customs Service was to blame.
This reassurance follows mounting public concern and false reports linking the fatalities to rice seized from smugglers. The Nigeria Customs Service’s Seme Area Command categorically denied these allegations on Sunday.
According to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, CSC Isah Sulaiman, no rice had been distributed and the rumours were entirely unfounded.
Supporting the cholera diagnosis, Mr Sao Temitope, a Medical Laboratory Officer with the LCDA, explained that the pattern of illness strongly suggests a waterborne disease.
“There’s no doubt that we’re dealing with something waterborne—possibly cholera,” he said. “The community lacks access to safe water and is severely unhygienic. This is a public health emergency.”
Temitope also confirmed that LCDA Chairman Joseph Gbenu had launched a swift response, including an awareness campaign to educate the local population on hygiene, safe food preparation, and water purification.
Water and food samples have been collected from the area and are currently undergoing laboratory analysis, with results expected soon.
In a broader response, teams from the Lagos State Ministry of Health, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the Primary Health Care Board, and Health District V have all visited the Zongo community to support containment and relief efforts.
The outbreak came under further scrutiny after the Oglogbo Community Development Association (CDA) issued an alert on 6 May, drawing attention to a sharp rise in deaths over a five-day span. The CDA has since advised residents and vendors to boil water, uphold hygiene standards, and maintain clean surroundings.
Health officials remain actively engaged in managing the situation, with plans for intensified public education to stem the spread of the disease.