Wall Gecko Wipes Out Family

The sprawling neighbourhood in Ogun State has been thrown into mourning after a family of six was discovered stone dead in the early hours of today.

The source of death is suspected food poisoning after wall gecko had allegedly walked on food.

The victims have been identified as Mr Adeleke John Samuel, a chartered accountant; his wife , two children and two other relatives.

A source told The Eagle that they are believed to have kicked the bucked after eating food on which wall gecko trampled.

The sad event was uncovered when their gateman, Mr Lawal Ojo suspected the unusual quietness in the house at full break of day.

He alerted the neighbours who broke into the house only to discover the bodies of the victims in different rooms

They were all in the sleeping posture, the source said, indicating that they probably passed on in their sleep.

According to an eyewitness: Mrs Ifenatuora Ijeoma, the poison might have ingested in the course of the family’s dinner the night before.

She reiterated that, on close inspection of the kitchen utensils, a dead wall gecko was discovered inside a pot of soup by one of the neighbours.

The Eagle reports that Wall Gecko, a small slippery house lizard native to South East Asia is now found across the world.

It had, at different times, been associated with lethal food poisoning.

According to medical practitioner who simply identified himself as Dr Omotosho : a biologist , “Geckos are ordinarily harmless. However, the lizard carries lots of bacteria in the mouth which can cause serious harm when ingested by humans.”

As at the time of filing this report, the police had waded into the matter, even as the source of death still remained a subject of conjecture.

The deceased man was aged was aged 55, the wife Mrs Pamela Adeleke was aged 50, the children roughly aged between 13 and 19 years old, our findings show.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/theeagle.com.ng/breaking-wall-gecko-wipes-out-family-of-six-at-once/%3famp=1

Hmmm

Obviously the lizard isn't an ordinary one.It is an arrow of evil sent by the evil ones.

Onyiiobi7735:
Obviously the lizard isn't an ordinary one.It is an arrow of evil sent by the evil ones.

who be this one, abeg leave that thing, na today you know say wall geko de poisonous, go step on dead camelion bones and make e piece your foot and see death too , they are poison, leave evil spirits alone, them don tire , Nigerians are careless

Police team should do proper and thorough investigation to unravel the cause of their deaths, wall gecko is a smokescreen.

Wall gecko isn't poisonous.

Full Text
A viral message surfaced on WhatsApp urging Nigerians to put a mixture of salt and garlic in the corners of their rooms to eradicate wall gecko, with the story that a wall gecko fell into a pot of soup prepared by a housewife in Nigeria unknown to her and killed the woman and her nine children after eating the soup.

It reads, “Slippery House Lizard known as Wall Gecko also called Omonle in Yoruba fell into a pot of soup prepared by a housewife in Nigeria unknowingly and it killed the woman and her 9 children after eating.

“Another woman who prepared Tea in a kettle which the gecko fell into, all the family that drank the tea died.

“Please ensure your food, cooked or raw is tightly closed as this animal is highly poisonous, it also goes with “aljanus” (jinns) – verifiable.

Therefore do everything possible to get rid of this dangerous animal from your home.”

The claim particularly notes that “the reptile goes with jinns and it’s highly poisonous and it is verifiable.” Dubawa opted to verify the authenticity of this claim.

Verification
A keyword search revealed that the claim has been in circulation since 2017, as a news item in Nigeria, the Sun Newspaper categorically alerted Nigerians to kill wall geckos because investigation has shown that the reptile is harmful.

The newspaper warned vividly: “Ordinarily, the skin of the gecko is highly poisonous…To eradicate it in your home, just mix salt and garlic and put mixture in different corners of your room. You will never see them again.”

A response on 9 May 2018 from Udonsi Eke on Nature Cures Initiative Facebook post questioned the credibility of the claim “But I remember eating a wall gecko that was roasted just to make me stop bedwetting in my childhood days. So is this information true?”
Are wall geckos truly harmful?
Animal diversity website describes a wall gecko as a tree-living terrestrial species, living in human-populated areas. A reptile that originated from Southeast Asia but is currently found almost everywhere across the globe. It says wall geckos occur on buildings, mostly near artificial lighting because they are nocturnal insectivores.

With the simple description of this uninvolved reptile that feeds mainly on insects, Dubawa felt the urge to get the thought of an expert, Mrs. Emudiare Tailobi, a zoologist from the University of Jos.

“Wall geckos aren’t venomous, that’s a fact,” Mrs. Emudiare said over the phone, adding that although they can carry some harmful bacteria in their mouths that are detrimental to human health, the reptile is naturally harmless.

Mrs. Tialobi explained that “Wall geckos are not toxic, but they may have picked up harmful bacterias that in large amounts can cause harm to humans.”

Dubawa went further to get more insight from a biologist, Mrs. Nanchin Winifred Kazeh from Leventis Ornithological Research Institute (APLORI) Jos-east Laminga via WhatsApp, and she affirmed that wall geckos are not poisonous
Is it true that the salt and garlic mixture can eradicate wall geckos?
A conversation with a biologist/ornithologist, Nanchin Winifred Kazeh of A. P. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute (APLORI), Jos-east on WhatsApp revealed that the smell of garlic and salt mixture wards off wall geckos.

Mrs. Kazeh said that wall geckos feed on insects such as lizards, nectars, and spiders. And since light attracts insects, wall geckos are found on buildings with artificial lighting, as it helps them spot their prey easily.

“The wall geckos play a very important role in balancing the ecosystem. Yes, their appearance scares most people, but all the protective measures put up by humans only aid the reptile to adapt well to the environment. Wall geckos are important and useful to humans,” Kazeh added.

While urging Nigerians to dismiss outrageous claims, and instead learn to read properly, know the source, and ask appropriate questions, the ornithologist outlined two fun facts which include:

Conservationist fun facts
1. Did you know that natural or human disturbances have resulted in more eggs being laid by the wall geckos?

Implication; the more we disturb them with our garlic and salt mixtures and try to kill them, the more they multiply

2. Did you know that female wall geckos can store sperm for up to a year? This is a trait that likely aids the species’ transportability and invasion success.

Conclusion
Verification has shown that wall geckos are not poisonous as contained in a viral WhatsApp message; instead, they play an important role in balancing the ecosystem. Even though the garlic and salt mixture can scare wall geckos, it will only increase its production.

The researcher produced this fact-check per the 2021 Kwame Karikari Fact-checking Fellowship partnership with JAY 101.9 FM Jos to facilitate the ethos of truth in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.

One wall gecko with enough lethal poison to kill six people…?

Why am I not believing this story?


I doubt if snakes and scorpions are even that poisonous.

Onyiiobi7735:
Obviously the lizard isn't an ordinary one.It is an arrow of evil sent by the evil ones.

always use your brain to think next time instead of ridiculing your lineage on nl

Ekuke

LIES
WHEN I WAS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL WALL GECKO FELL INTO OUR POT OF YAM PORRIDGE IN BOARDING HOUSE, INFACT ONE OF MY DINNING TABLE MATE CHEWED THE GECKO THINKING IT WAS FISH BEFORE WE GOT TO KNOW, NOT EVEN A STOMACH PAIN

RIP.


I REALLY HATE THIS LIZARD. IT IRRITATES ME....

IT'S NOT ONLY POISONOUS, IT ALSO SEIZE SLEEP.

Ei God

And I bin dey see one for my house o

Omo it's on sight once I catch anyone again

Na flit I dey take kill their mama.

I heard it’s spiritual and evil too and it can scratch your body when you are fast asleep.

I also heard cockroaches do this too.

Hmmm

I ought to be dead also. There is more to it.

I like spending time watching geckos attack flies, spider and other crawling insects.
That's man's companion wether you recognize their presence or not, they are right there with you watching and listening.

This stupid wall gecko almost wiped out my entire family last year when it pooped on my chicken okro stew n we innocently ate it.

The only person that wasn't affect was my lil son.

I would advise everyone to always close their food,and pls endeavor not to pick any food that touches the floor of your house back into your mouth.

Even roaches too are another culprits

Richy4:
Nigerian post-mortem examination always comes out within 2mins of someone's demise or minutes after the discovery of someone's death ...

The pathologists are always the onlookers, gatekeepers, beer parlour patrons, market women and elders in council...

I bin dey kill them like normal lizard now I go kill them like ant. I no one see this thing for my room again.

Wall geckos are harmless and non poisonous.


Some tribes/cultures do not kill geckos as they believe they protect the house especially at night.

Personally I find them creepy and irritating though.

Elshaddai

too many APC members in this thread

OMG!!!! I actually see this b*tch in my room, I've tried to get rid of it but it suddenly disappears and hid itself

RIP. Damn.

Jeon:
RIP.


I REALLY HATE THIS LIZARD. IT IRRITATES ME....

IT'S NOT ONLY POISONOUS, IT ALSO SEIZE SLEEP.

Wow.
Seriously? Goddamnit!

ahnie:
This stupid wall gecko almost wiped out my entire family last year when it pooped on my chicken okro stew n we innocently ate it.

The only person that wasn't affect was my lil son.

I would advise everyone to always close their food,and pls endeavor not to pick any food that touches the floor of your house back into your mouth.

Even roaches too are another culprits

Whattttt??

Can you imagine. So them no de give their gateman food.

There's nothing more false than this report. Even the dart poison frog would struggle to achieve this feat, considering the dilution from the soup.
Wall geckos are not poisonous and they don't press anybody in their sleep, nor do they have any metaphysical capabilities.

If they're that poisonous, then half of the people in rural areas would have died of by now.
I don't know what killed the family, but I know it's not any wall gecko.

No way.

I can remember when I was eating under the halogen light and one of this unfortunate animal fell on my food, I simply remove it and continued with the meal.... and, yes I'm stil alive!