Five people have d!ed after consuming a meal during a ‘Love Feast’ —popularly known as Ipese, organised by the Celestial Church of Christ in Apata Iye parish, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Several other worshippers are receiving treatment at the Infectious Disease Centre, Olodo, in Egbeda Local Government Area of the state.
The incident occurred last Sunday, within the church premises in Apata, Ido Local Government Area.
A church source, who requested anonymity, told Punch that it has yet to be established whether the Ipese meal was responsible for the deaths.
“I ate the same beans that everyone else, including the victims, ate, and nothing happened to me. It’s not clear that the incident is related to the Ipese, as some people are claiming. 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,” he said.
A staff member at the Infectious Disease Centre, who spoke anonymously, stated 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.
The spokesperson of the Oyo State Police Command, Adewale Osifeso, who confirmed the incident said that investigations are ongoing.
Meanwhile, the church leader, Prophet Akin Kilanko, who spoke with a radio station in the state insists that the incident has nothing to do with rituals saying it’s a cholera outbreak.
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