Kazeem Owoseni
Seven people have been reportedly dead and several others hospitalised after drinking Datura tea at a wedding ceremony in Sheka Quaters, Kumbotso Local Council of Kano State.
Reports revealed that Datura is made of nine species of highly poisonous vespertine-flowering plants, belonging to the nightshade family.
However, the deceased persons were suspected to have drank the local leaf popularly known as Zakami, which contains a psychoactive substance.
An elderly brother to the bride’s, Sanusi Yahaya, who was also at venue of the wedding, said the tea was suspected to be made with different types of drugs apart from the local leaf.
He revealed that it had become a norm for some youths in the area, especially drug addicts, to cook Zakami tea during wedding ceremonies.
“They cooked the tea and the deceased didn’t even know the number and types of drugs that were inside to the extent that some had to abandon it.
“But some of them insisted that they must drink from the tea, saying that their brains can take it.
“After drinking the tea, two people died, some have recovered while others are hospitalized,” he said.
However, Abdullahi Muhammad, who also witnessed the incident, said seven people were dead as of Tuesday, noting that those who were hospitalized were not from the area, but were passers by, who decided to drink from the tea.
“We don’t know the exact number for now, but seven have been confirmed dead.
“Some of the victims were not even invited to the wedding, they just came to disguise and take their drugs,” he said.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Kano State Police Command, Abdullahi Haruna, said: “The Command and the Divisional Police Officer in the area have not received any report on the incident.
“Though we heard about the incident, now nobody has reported it to the DPO or the State Command,” he said.
The police representative, however, promised to contact the Village Head for details on the incident, noting that only one person was said to have lost his life after drinking the “killer tea.”
