The Kano State government has urged indigenes and residents not to panic over the rampant deaths that have continued to occur in the state in the last few days, assuring that “we shall overcome.”
Although medical experts are still battling to unravel the real cause of the deaths, speculations are rife that they may not be unconnected with the coronavirus pandemic.
The assurance by the state government was contained in a statement released by Muhammad Garba, commissioner for information, saying that a combined team from the state Ministry of Health and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has been drafted to eight Local Government Areas within the Kano Emirate Council to perform oral autopsy exercise on the corpses of the deceased to unravel the real cause of the mysterious deaths.
The Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje had directed the state Ministry of Health to carry out oral autopsy of those who lost their lives to various strange ailments.
“I am pleased to inform the good people of Kano state that verbal autopsy to determine the real cause of the deaths of our citizens who lost their lives over the weekend has begun in earnest.
“Following the directive of the Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, health experts from the state Ministry of Health and the NCDC have been drafted to visit the families and relatives of the dead so as to trace their medical history, with a view to ascertaining what really led to their death,” Garba stated.
According to him, the state Ministry of Health is also working round the clock to ensure adequate availability of drugs for common ailments such as malaria, typhoid fever, meningitis, among others.
“Our primary healthcare system has also been re-activated across the 44 Local Government Areas to guarantee easy access to healthcare delivery, even as we continue to battle the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic,” the Commissioner added.
Garba, who called for calm, urged residents to continue to strictly adhere to the advice from health experts on how to avoid contracting the COVID-19.
“At this point, all of us must come together, irrespective of religious and political affiliations, to overcome this health challenge facing our great state.
“We solicit for the cooperation of religious leaders, political leaders, opinion leaders, community leaders, traditional rulers and every other stakeholder to enlighten our people on the need to stay safe and stay healthy.”
The commissioner further said: “The state government also wishes to passionately appeal to residents to religiously observe the lockdown order, stay at home, observe personal hygiene, wash their hands regularly, observe social distancing and also pray fervently for the end of this dark era of the novel COVID-19 pandemic.”
He expressed the optimism that “Together, we shall win this war. This turbulent time shall pass away. We shall come out stronger and better; and our dear state will be great again.”
It all began as a rumour making the rounds like one of the fake news on the social media, then followed by a confusing confirmation from some grave diggers in several of the grave-yards in the city, where the dead bodies were alleged to have been buried; then the denials from the state government, and institutions, the fear and the COVID-19 angle to the deaths.
That eventually gave rise to what is now known as “Kano mysterious deaths”. At the time of filing in this story, a number of high profile indigenes of Kano, northern Nigeria biggest commercial and economic city, had died as a result of unknown illnesses.
It started precisely on Thursday the 23rd of April, when the news started filtering in the social media of the mysterious death wave in Kano, which moved Governor Ganduje to direct the state ministry of health to investigate the claim.
Just as the investigation was on-going, the death of some 23 highly placed citizens in the state started rolling in. That of Kano-based economist, Professor Ibrahim Ayagi, who was head of Nigerian Economic Intelligence Bureau, and until his death, the chief executive officer of Hassan Gwarzo Group of Schools, was very devastating.
Ayagi was 80 years old before his sudden death. Some of other notable deaths recorded in one day were those of the former Grand Kadi of Kano, Dahiru Khadi, and Dr. Musa Umar Gwarzo; Musa Tijjani, editor of the State Government-owned Triumph Newspaper; Adamu Isyaku Dal, former executive secretary, SUBEB; Salisu Lado, Nene Umma, Garba Sarki Fagge, and the mother of a prominent businessman, Ado Gwanja, as well as Professor Aliyu Umar Dikko of the Department of Physiology, Bayero University, Kano. There was also Dr. Nasiru Maikano Bichi, secretary, Students Affairs, North West University, Kano.
As the state was mourning the deaths of these high profile citizens, the following day, many others were declared dead also. They include, a Professor in the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University Kano (BUK), Balarabe Maikaba, who died last Sunday.
Maikaba’s death was announced by the management of BUK same day. Before his death, the former head of Department of Mass Communication at BUK was known to be managing a health issue, diabetes. However, there is as yet no evidence that his death is connected with the coronavirus pandemic.
BDSUNDAY checks indicate that the death wave which the state is experiencing has continued to generate controversy and apprehension among residents of the state, as many of them are attributing the rising cases of deaths in the state to the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic.
What is primarily fueling the assumption was the fact that the increasing death wave was occurring at a time when there was also an escalating number of people testing positive to the Covid-19 in the state. So for many of the people, naturally, it must be linked to the disease.
One of the major reasons the submission was gaining ground was the fact that the deaths were occurring at a time when the only Testing Centre in the state which is situated at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital suspended operations.
Operations at the Kano testing centre at the time was suspended, according Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), to enable it carry out fumigation, having detected that the Centre was infected with Covid-19 and the centre has been fumigated and has since resumed fully testing operation.
Adeola Ajakaiye, in Kano
