Meat sellers, health workers, hospital row over ‘poisoned’ Pomo

Authorities of Sapele General Hospital, Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State, have denied the allegation by some health workers attached to the Health and Environment Department of Sapele council that no fewer than 10 victims, who bought and consumed some allegedly poisoned animal hide, popularly called Pomo, were sick and lying in critical condition at the hospital.

It was alleged that the said pomo was purchased at Sapele Main Market.

Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Oyobere Onwoke, who rebuffed the claim of alleged sick patients, victims of the poisoned pomo, conducted newsmen around the hospital. He challenged the health workers to come forward and point out any patient that is a victim.

Free-for-all between meat sellers, health workers

The police in Sapele, led by the Divisional Police Officer, Mr. Mamma Rigau, earlier in the week, quelled what would have led to a major clash between the health officers of Sapele council and a large number of meat sellers in Sapele main market.

The allegation was that some of the meat sellers had injected a chemical, usually used in embalming corpses, into the pomo they were selling to make the said pomo increases in size and attract customers.

The health workers confiscated over N200,000 worth of pomo, arrested some of the meat sellers and handed them to the police for prosecution.

The accusation, it was gathered, angered the meat sellers, who insisted that there were no poisoned meat in the market, leading to a free-for-all in the market.

On confiscated pomo

Head, Departed of Health and Environmental of the council, Mr. S. Jekwe was not available for comments at press time.

A senior health official, who craved anonymity, confirmed that the confiscated pomo had been buried, while some were left for laboratory test. He also said that the poisoned pomo were not from cows but from a yet to be ascertained animal.

Effort to see some of the allegedly poisoned pomo kept for laboratory test was rebuffed by the health officials on duty, who claimed that only their HOD could grant such permission.