A professor in the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University Kano (BUK), Balarabe Maikaba, on Sunday joined the growing list of high-profile deaths in the ancient city of Kano.
Maikaba’s death was announced by the management of BUK on Sunday.
Before his death, the former head of Department of Mass Communication at BUK was known to be managing diabetes. However, there is as yet no evidence that his death is connected with the coronavirus disease currently ravaging Kano.
Kano State has witnessed many high-profile deaths recently, checks by BusinessDay show.
On Saturday, several media reported the deaths of Ibrahim Ayagi, Kano-based professor of economics, a former head of Nigerian Economic Intelligence Bureau and CEO of Hassan Gwarzo Group of Schools; Dahiru Khadi, former Grand Kadi of Kano; Musa Tijjani, a former editor of the state-owned Triumph Newspaper, among several others.
Last week, SaharaReporters reported that fear was growing in Kano after over 150 persons died under the space of three days, causing undertakers and grave diggers in the city to express deep concerns.
“The Facebook pages of my friends from Kano have become obituary boards, and there’s no way to defend that it’s normal,” wrote Gimba Kakanda, a postgraduate student of International Relations at the London School of Economics.
“The mortality rate in Kano seems to have surged, and even though it’s not been linked to any disease yet, it’s important to determine the causes of these deaths,” he wrote.
The true causes of the deaths are, however, yet to be ascertained, and there are as yet no clear indicators connecting the deaths to the ravaging COVID-19.
Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano State, has since come under fire over the rising deaths in the state amid the coronavirus pandemic.
As at 5:00pm on Sunday, Kano has recorded 77 cases of COVID-19, according to Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
But some residents fear there may be more cases than recorded as the state lacks testing capacity.
The COVID-19 testing laboratory in Kano State was shut on Wednesday following reported lack of testing materials.
Some of the staff in the laboratory were also said to have tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the shutdown of the facility.
Many have criticised Ganduje for not being proactive in containing the spread of the virus in the state.
Amid the rising criticism, the state government says it has instituted an investigation, led by the Ministry of Health, to determine the causes of these and other recent deaths.
The governor, responding to reports of multiple deaths within Kano, on Wednesday said the state had recorded only one COVID-19 death.
“You know that there is a lot of fake news going around and we have already started arresting all those who are peddling such rumours. The death recorded from coronavirus is only one and the NCDC is aware of that,” Ganduje said.
The governor has announced that his government has approved the purchase of one million face masks to be distributed to residents.
At a press conference on Saturday, he said the state government had rented a hotel where suspected cases whose blood samples were taken are kept, adding that the isolation centre at Sani Abacha Stadium can accommodate 210 people.
The governor said the isolation centre at Kurna Dawakin Kudu where the intensive care unit (ICU) is situated is also active, though there are challenges of ventilators and other major facilities, while the 100-bed isolation centre at Muhammadu Buhari Specialist hospital is also working.
He appealed to the Federal Government for assistance, disclosing that Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man who hails from the state, has promised to make some donations.
ADEOLA AJAKAIYE, Kano
