Breaking: 16-years Edo girl falsely accused of poisoning ex-boyfriend, 5 others speaks
16-years-old Aisha Suleiman, who was falsely accused of poisoning five people with pepper soup, has spoken out after investigations revealed that the victims actually died from inhaling generator fumes.
In October 2024, Aisha was nearly lynched when a social media user on X (formerly Twitter) shared her photo, accusing her of poisoning her boyfriend and four of his friends. Despite not being in the area when the incident occurred, she was confronted upon her return, publicly humiliated, and tied up by enraged community members, who doused her with petrol and were ready to set her ablaze.
However, authorities intervened just in time to save her life.
She was subsequently arrested and charged in court. However, human rights activists got involved, leading to a proper investigation that revealed the true cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning from generator fumes.
Speaking in an interview with ITV Radio after her exoneration, which was shared on Friday, Aisha Suleiman denied ever cooking pepper soup for anyone. She explained that tensions arose after she ended her relationship with her late boyfriend, and his father barred her from visiting their home.
However, during interrogations, Aisha stated emphatically that she (Aisha) was in Iyakpi, whereas the deaths occurred in Afashio.
Now, many are calling for legal action against the friend of Aisha’s late boyfriend, who raised the alarm.
It could be recalled that a 16-year-old girl from Edo State had been taken into custody in October, 2024, consequent on the alleged murder of her ex-boyfriend alongside his friends through food poisoning.
The tragic incident which was made open on October 26, sparked reactions, resulting in the said arrest of the teenage girl who was wrongly believed to have perpetrated the heinous act.
Reportedly, the Edo State Police ommand had without hesitation, detained 16-year-old girl, Aisha Suleiman, who was accused of fatally poisoning her ex-boyfriend, identified as Emmanuel, and four other young men in Afashio community in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.
The tragic discovery was reported on October 26, 2024, when Emmanuel’s father, Mr Elogie Ezekiel, arrived at his son’s apartment around 6:30 a.m. that day and saw some lifeless bodies in the house.
Ezekiel reportedly found the body of a young man, Nurudeen, in the corridor.
Moving further into the apartment, he discovered Emmanuel, 19, and his girlfriend, identified as Ada Samuel, also 16, lying lifeless on the bedroom bed.
Amidst regrets, two other friends of Emmanuel’s, Samuel and Jeffrey Ayegwalo, both siblings, were found unresponsive in the sitting room.
All five were immediately transported to the hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead on arrival.
Some sources in the area noted that the victims had just consumed a pot of pepper soup prepared by Suleiman for the five friends.
The investigation took a significant turn three days later when police received a report that Suleiman, who was alleged to have poisoned the victims, was about to be lynched by a group of young men from the community.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Moses Yamu, told journalists on Friday that police officers from the Jattu Division were quickly mobilised to the scene, intervened, and transported Suleiman safely to the station.
“The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department to conduct a thorough investigation,” Yamu added.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Umoru Ozigi, has ordered a detailed investigation, instructing officers to pursue every possible lead to determine the true cause of death in the case.
He also warned against any form of mob action, urging the community to allow the police to carry out their duties. CP Ozigi reassured the public that justice would be pursued diligently.
