MYSTERIOUS DEATHS: I’ll not let you down, Buhari tells Kano people

President Muhammadu Buhari has told the people of Kano State that his government would not let them down.

He stated this in a statement on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

He was reacting to the events in the state, where over 600 people reportedly died in the state within a week and still dying mysteriously.

Fingers were pointing at COVID-19 pandemic as possible cause of the death surge, a claim the state government has continued to debunk, instead, blaming acute malaria, and diabetes among others for the deaths.

Currently, the government has ordered for verbal autopsies to ascertain the cause of the death surge.

However, Buhari said in the statement, “In Nigeria, there are currently verbal autopsies underway in Kano State to identify the precise cause of the sudden and rapid increase in mortality in recent days.

“While some may wish to believe that there are other causes at play here like hypertension, diabetes, meningitis, and acute malaria’, there are others who say it is COVID-19.

“We should be prepared to accept the medical and scientific result of the autopsies and work together to confront the common enemy.

“What we know all over the world is that communities with similar socioeconomic dynamics like Kano have found as very helpful, the sort of lockdown measures now imposed, with markets and other public places of worship shuttered more strictly.

“The President and his government are with the people of Kano State and will not let them down.

“If there is reason to believe that the mortality rate in Kano due to COVID-19 is out of control, it will spell a serious development to which the best action would be for the Federal government and state government to work more tightly together to find solutions and implement together.”

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He said politicians should waste time trying to use the event in Kano to score political points, but should work on common purpose on how lives could be saved.

“There is no time for energy wasted on political point-scoring, whether by current or former holders of office – or for any differences between state and federal administrations to be publicly aired. This is no time for talk. Our common purpose is to preserve the lives and health of citizens.”

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