Desmond Mgboh, Kano
In the recent past, Kano State has never had to endure so many tragedies as it has done in the past few weeks. These tragedies are not of war or famine. They are not of hunger and hailstorm. They are of death as it had never happened before.
At first, it was hard to believe and it appeared the sceptics were already winning. But as the days went by and the counting continued, the fact became clearer that something unprecedented was happening in the northern commercial city-state.
In many settlements in the eight metropolitan areas of the state, especially inside the old city, someone had died or knew someone who had died recently. That was how bad it was. Some 12 days ago, when the counting of the dead was done, those dead within 48 hours, from Friday to Saturday, were more than 10, many of them elite and the elderly.
They included renowned economist, Professor Ibrahim Ayagi, who until his death was the chief executive officer, Hassan Gwarzo School. He died in his 80s. Also dead was the former Grand Khadi of the state, Dahiru Rabiu, and a former editor with Triumph newspapers in Kano, Alhaji Musa Tijjani.
The dead also included Prof. Aliyu Umar Dikko of the Department of Physiology, Bayero University, Kano (BUK), and Lawal, regional head of First Bank in the state. There were also Dr. Nasiru Maikano Bichi and Alhaji Salisu Lado, all in 48 hours. Despite the deluge of these tragedies, the toll did not cease even when the counting stopped.
In the days that followed, more people died, raising a lot of dust and worry. Some of the more recent painful passages were a former dean of the Faculty of Mass Communication, BUK, Prof. Balarabe Maikaba. He from a protracted illness.
Also dead was a senior counsellor in the Kano Emirate Council, Prof. Isa Hashim. He died on Sunday morning at the age of 86, according to family sources. He was the Jarman Kano, a very revered rank in the emirate council. A member of his family, Ibrahim Aliyu, said his health deteriorated following the death of his contemporaries, many of whom had died in the recent times.
Still within the traditional institution, there was also the death of the 74-year-old Emir of Rano, Ambassador Abubakar Tafida Ila, who passed last Saturday at Nasarawa Specialist Hospital. Also confirmed dead was Dr. Ghali Umar Kabir, former head of the Department of Architecture, Kano State University of Science of Technology, Wudil.
Then there was the head of Communications, UNICEF Zonal Office, Mallam Hasssan Rabiu. According to his son, Musa, his father died at the age of 60 after battling with the sickness for a few days: “No matter how short he walked, he lost his breath. He was taken to the National Orthopaedic Hospital on Friday, where he eventually gave up.”
The hike in the number of people dying in the state can best be accounted for by the traffic of sympathizers at graveyards. According to some of the graveyard attendants in the state, which were quoted by newspapers, there appeared to be a surge in the number of people dying in the state.
Kadijat Abubakar, who lived inside the city of Kano, supported the argument that something was happening around Kano. She told Daily Sun on phone that, although she had not lost any of her relatives of late, several people, especially older people in her neighbourhood, had passed away in succession since the lockdown began: “Almost all of them were elderly persons, friends of my father and people that were in my father’s age range. Because of the lockdown, you only hear of these things and may never have the opportunity, like before, to go out there and see things for yourself. But it is true that people are dying.”
Although not of the same magnitude, it was gathered that there has been a slight jump in number of deaths in the non-native communities in the state. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), through its secretary, Ibrahim Isa Wangida, maintained that the figure of Christians who had passed away recently has not shown any significant difference from what it was in the past.
But observers insisted that they could count a few more deaths than in the past. Some of the family members of the dead told Daily Sun the mortuaries in the state were already filled up with the remains of the deceased. He added that due to the inter-state lockdown, many families were unable to evacuate their dead relatives to their home states for burial.
A bereaved widow from the South West, whose husband died at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, said they were given just two hours to take the remains of her husband away: “At that point, we had no option but to call home, they gave their approval and we hurriedly buried him at the Ahmaddiyya Cemetery in the state.”
There are diverse positions and shades of opinions as to the causes of these deaths. Bemuda Idimi, an old resident of the state, said: “More people die at this time of the year in Kano. Remember that when we were young, there was the period when more people died in the state. They used to say that they were dying of meningitis or something like that, simply because the deaths were quick in succession and short in notice.
“Because a lot of people had made up their minds as to the possible causes of these deaths, they are not ready to recall that each time the temperature went as high as this in the state, it came with its own catastrophe and sorrow.”
Some other respondents reasoned that the sudden deaths, especially of old people, may be linked to other factors, notably the disruption in the social structure, including the gradual disappearance of some imported life-sustaining drugs that had supported the elderly in the society.
A team of medical experts, namely Maryam Nasir, Zainab Mahmoud and Khadija Rufai, on April 27, 2020, published an independent investigation into the causes of these deaths: “Our findings indicate a trend of febrile and respiratory illness that progresses to death within one to two weeks. These deaths occurred in various localities in Kano and are predominantly amongst elderly people with underlying medical conditions.
“This presentation mirrors severe COVID-19 cases reported around the world. Some family members volunteered further information around cases. One of the contacts, who had lost a father, stated that he became ill about one week after a wedding ceremony. He had fever, shortness of breath and diarrhea. Attempts to contact the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) were unsuccessful and he passed away one week later.
“Another contact stated that the deceased had fever and shortness of breath for a week. He was initially treated for pneumonia at a private hospital, and subsequently required a ventilator.”
Among many other suggestions, they recommended further and timely investigations into these deaths, suggesting that family members of the deceased should be tracked through cemeteries or hospitals. They also suggested the need to enhance testing capacity in the state, including setting up community-based testing and mobile testing centres within Kano.
Meanwhile, government initiated a probe to determine the causes of these deaths. It directed the Ministry of Health to carry out a “verbal autopsy” of those who had died from various ailments in the state. Commissioner for information, Muhammad Garba, said a combined team of the officials of the ministry and the NCDC were drafted to conduct the exercise in the eight metropolitan local government areas.