Untold story of Kwara’s alleged COVID-19 death …How the deceased friend secretly treated him at home – Source

…He was buried without testing – investigation

Controversy has continued to trail the death of an alleged COVID-19 patient in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, as conflicting reports circulating on social media as to the actual nature of his sickness.

While the state government, through a release signed by Rafiu Ajakaye, the chief press secretary to the governor, who also doubles as the spokesman of the technical committee on COVID-19, described the death of the deceased as a result of respiratory illness.

But, the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, where the deceased died, described the cause of death as food poisoning.

“The Kwara state Technical Committee on COVID-19 wishes to clarify that the state has not recorded any confirmed case of COVID-19. As of now, all the six samples tested from Kwara state have returned the contrary.

“The committee states that there is no fact, at this moment, to support suggestions that a male patient who died on Wednesday night at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital was a COVID-19 patient.

“Findings by the medical advisory sub-committee revealed that the patient and his wife arrived from the United Kingdom, reportedly came to Ilorin on March 20 and went into self-quarantine without reaching out to the government or the technical committee.

“On the 13th day of the self-quarantine, the husband suddenly had difficulties breathing after reportedly eating dinner and was rushed to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.

‘Efforts to resuscitate him proved abortive, and he was pronounced dead,” the statement by Ajakaye said.

However, the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, through a twin press release signed by one Ojuawo Ayobola, the public relations officer of Association of Residents Doctors UITH chapter and another one signed by the secretary of the state chapter of the UITH MDCAN contradicts the government’s position.

The release reads: “The executive is aware of a possible/suspected case of COVID-19 that was admitted at the accident and emergency unit of the hospital on the 1st of April and died on the 2nd of April, 2020.

“While we await the results of the investigations aimed at establishing the diagnosis, all exposed members during the management of this patient have started self- isolation and are currently being giving all the necessary support by the ARD executive and the epidemiology department,” Ojuawo stressed.

The statement on the part of MDCAN reads: “A patient with symptoms of food poisoning which was said to have been on self- isolation for 13 days following his return from the UK (hence, a suspected case of COVID-19) was admitted yesterday and died at the medical emergency ward today, Thursday, 2nd April 2020.

“In the spirit of proactiveness by the management of the hospital, the medical emergency has been shut down, and the process of fumigation has been initiated.

“Close contacts of the patient (doctors and nurses that attended to him and his family members) have started self-isolation while we await possible confirmation of COVID-19.”

The investigation, however, showed that the deceased suspected COVID-19 patient who is an indigene of Offa, who’s identity has been undisclosed is none other than a chartered accountant and auditor, Alhaji Muideen Obanimomọ, who flew into Nigeria on Friday, 20th March 2020, via Lagos, and immediately went into isolation upon his arrival haven noticed strange feelings.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a cousin of the deceased said: “He self- isolated with his wife in Lagos, while sending his children to temporarily stay with some relatives in other not to infect them.

“When rumors of a total lockdown of Lagos was announced, he called his friend who is a professor of medicine by name Prof. (Dr.) AbdulSalam, who advised him to come down to Ilorin before the lockdown of Lagos, which he agreed to.

“He came into Ilorin last week after being in self- isolation for three days and was placed under treatment by his friend (Prof. Sulaiman) in his Ilorin house where several kinds of medication were administered on him.

“When his condition deteriorated last night, he was rushed to SOBI Specialist Hospital which was under lock and key and then quickly rushed to UITH where he was first rejected until Prof. Abdulsalam placed a call through to the CMD, Prof. Abdullah Yussuf and he was admitted and rushed to the emergency unit of the hospital at exactly 9:30 pm.”

One of the doctors who attended to the deceased who spoke from isolation said: “He was brought in the account of diarrhea, which was said to have lasted that day.

“He had come into the country two weeks ago, and suspected has been on self- isolation taking home remedies of Tumeric, ginger, pineapple, and lemon.

“We all thought it was a case of food poisoning until some certain symptoms like spouting blood, wheezing, and others were noticed.”

Speaking further, the deceased cousin said: “Obanimomo died after doctors spent up to 45 minutes trying every means to resuscitate him. The doctors were regretful to have attended to him off guard and wished the professor had given them a more open clue on the case.

“The hospital management came in later in the afternoon to announce the case of a COVID-19 infection and moved all the patients in the emergency unit to other wards to begin immediate provision for fumigation.”

Further investigation showed that even when the medical personnel who treated the patient strongly suspected that he died of COVID-19, no test was conducted on the deceased before his burial.

It was observed that the deceased upon arriving Offa, was taken in for the compulsory bath (Ghusl Janazah) for all Muslim deaths and he was bathed and prepared according to Islamic rites, which is advised against for fatalities caused by COVID-19 virus which is transferable through body contact.

Also, the wife of the deceased, who was supposed to be in self -isolation, was seen receiving mourners and having bodily contacts with several mourners.

Corroborating the suspicion that the deceased likely died of COVID-19, his friend who pleaded anonymity said: “I started noticing he was unusually active on our WhatsApp group since ten days ago, he was always posting about COVID-19, affirming that it is really among other things.

Source: Daily Times

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