A big tragedy has befallen the family of Pa Robinson Arinze Aghalu, a 79-year-old retired soldier and father from Ogidi, in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
In a space of just 72 hours, a once lively household lost five of its six children, leaving a trail of sorrow and unanswered questions.
It has also left scars on a father now clinging to what remains of his world: one critically ill wife and a surviving daughter.
What began as a peaceful Saturday evening on May 3, 2025, echoing with the laughter of children, soon spiraled into a nightmare no parent should ever have to endure.
Grief hung heavy over the compound like a storm cloud refusing to pass.
Friends and relatives stood around in stunned silence.
Women whispered quietly amongst themselves, some with red, tear-soaked eyes.
Men stood in scattered clusters, arms folded, eyes distant, helpless, heartbroken.
Amid this haunting scene, Pa Arinze, with a trembling voice and a heart barely holding together, summoned the strength to recount his harrowing ordeal.
“They were all healthy…”
“It all began Saturday night,” he said.
“The children were playing football in front of the compound.
“They were laughing, teasing each other. My youngest, a girl, was the goalkeeper.”
He recounted how their mother had prepared dinner for the family, a simple, familiar food.
As they ate, he noticed something strange: the children didn’t eat as much as usual.
Hours later, the nightmare began.
“Between 10 and 11 p.m., they started complaining of stomach aches.
“The youngest was groaning in pain.
“She began to vomit.
“We tried everything – olive oil, cooking oil, holy water, prayers.
“She calmed down briefly, and we all went to bed, though we remained watchful.”
But the calm was deceptive.
At around 2 a.m., the little girl started vomiting again, this time, a black substance.
As her strength faded, she took her final breath beside her father’s bed.
Too shocked to awaken his wife to what had happened, Pa Arinze held his pain until he could no longer conceal the loss.
Then, as if caught in a relentless storm, the other children began falling ill,one after the other.
The family rushed the children to a nearby maternity clinic.
Oluebube, the eldest daughter, ran errands, helping her younger siblings.
But things spiraled.
The first son started bleeding from his nose and ears.
Two of the children died at the hospital.
With little time and rising fear, the rest were moved to Iyienu Mission Hospital, then to Crown Hospital, as the situation worsened.
“I don’t know where the money came from,” Pa Arinze said with tears.
“People around me, strangers, friends – brought money.
“We were billed over ₦600,000.
“God bless everyone who helped. I had nothing,” he added.
At Crown Hospital, Oluebube and her brother also passed away.
Their mother, too, had fallen critically ill from the same symptoms and was fighting for her life.
“What Do I Have Left?”
Pa Arinze hinted that he was once married.
A man, who had once lost a wife without bearing children, finally found joy and family with his second wife, who bore him six children.
But now, only one of them, who was away studying with a relative, survived.
Five precious lives are gone, and his wife remains in the hospital, struggling to survive.
Their mother’s condition was stabilized at crown hospital.Dr. Ogudebe, who is managing her case, also declined to go on record but shared cautiously that the likely cause was food poisoning, though only an autopsy can confirm this.
He emphasized that the mother’s vitals were stable, and he remained hopeful for her recovery.
They Were Good Children
Back at the home, neighbours and sympathizers shared memories of the children.
“They were inseparable.
“They walked together, played together, even worked together,” one woman said.
“They adored their father.
“You could see it in their eyes whenever he called.”
Now those eyes are closed. Their voices, silenced.
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