Woman 'murders ex with poisoned soup - but accidentally kills four friends as well'

Five teenagers - four boys and a girl- were found dead in a room in Edo, Nigeria after a young woman allegedly served the victims a pepper soup laced with an unnamed poison

Five teenagers have been found dead in a room in Nigeria after a young woman allegedly laced a soup dish with poison, which was served as revenge to her ex-boyfriend for ending their relationship.

Four boys and a girl were discovered in Afashio, Uzairue, after relatives grew concerned by their absence and decided to investigate. The tragic loss included two siblings and three friends, according to the Daily Post in Nigeria. They were named by the local police force as Emmanuel Elogie, 19, Ada Samuel, 16, brothers Samuel Ayegwalo and Jeffrey Ayegwalo and another youngster named only as Nurudeen.

Sources say the young woman allegedly laced the pepper soup with poison and gave the food to her ex-boyfriend as revenge, following the end of their relationship. The unsuspecting man then shared the lethal meal with four companions.

Nigerian military forces reportedly detained the woman, named by Edo State Command as 16-year-old Aisha Suleiman. The force said in a statement: "The Commissioner of Police, CP Umoru Peter Ozigi has directed no stone should be left unturned to ensure the cause of death of these young people is established.

"He further warned against jungle justice, while assuring the general public justice will be served at the end of investigation. The command received a report on 26/10/2024 at about 0730hrs, from Elogie Ezekiel of Afashio community that he went to check his son at his apartment.

"Upon gaining entrance into the apartment, he met the lifeless body of his son's friend in the corridor, he went further and met the lifeless bodies of his son with his girlfriend on the bed in the bedroom, while another two of the son's friends named Samuel Ayegwalo and Jeffrey Ayegwalo who turned out to be siblings found in the sitting room.

"They were evacuated to the hospital where the Doctor confirmed them dead. They mobilised to the scene, rescued the suspect to the Station and the case was transferred next day to the State Criminal Investigation Department for discrete investigation."

Viral clips on social media platforms appear to capture the moment the family came upon the grim scene. Initial speculations point to both generator emissions and the ingestion of toxic food as potential causes of the calamity.

Moses Yamu, acting as spokesperson for the Edo State Police Command, said: "The command is aware, but investigation to unravel the cause of death is ongoing."