4 persons have died and two others are receiving medical treatment in the hospital, after they consumed a suspected poisonous fish in the Kashimbila Ward of Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State.
Chairman of the local government council, John Ali, confirming the tragic incident, said the deaths occurred on February 22, 2025.
The victims, identified as herders are believed to have unknowingly cooked, and ate a specie of toxic fish they found, near the Kashimbila multi-purpose dam.
The deceased have been identified as Abdul Juli, Sule Abubakar, Adamu Mato, and Saidu Payo, while the two survivors, Yusuf Musa and Ibrahim Haruna, were rushed to an undisclosed hospital, where they remain under medical care.
Ali explained that the herders mistakenly believed the fish was safe to eat, leading to the fatal outcome.
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“The herders, while grazing their cattle, came across some abandoned fish at the riverbank. Unaware of the danger, they picked and cooked the fish for a meal,” he said.
He further revealed that the fish, locally known as ‘Frog-Fish’ is highly toxic and even poses a danger to other aquatic life.
“This particular specie of fish is so poisonous that even other fish in the river avoid them. If they come in contact with another fish, that fish rots immediately,” Ali explained.
The chairman assured that he would visit the affected community to assess the situation first hand.
