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Kano city is now the killing field of COVID-19 pandemic in Africa–Prof. Yusuf
By Prof. Usman Yusuf
25th April 2020
I raised alarm in an article I wrote which was published in the Daily Trust Newspaper (page 6) on April 22nd, 2020 on how COVID-19 was ravaging Kano city. I opined that if urgent action was not taken by the Federal Government, the city could become the epicenter of the virus on the African continent. Recognizing the disastrous consequences of such a scenario, I offered recommendations that could help stem the slide.
Today, I raise my voice again, this time to join the growing chorus of people both within and outside the State who are horrified by Kano State Government’s (KNSG) cavalier response to this pandemic seeing it as a growing danger to the lives of people in Kano, its neighbors and also a threat to our National Security.
Nigeria as a nation needs to wake up to the ever-present danger of the cascading domino effect of COVID-19 infection in Kano spreading to the Northwest zone, the Northwest zone infects the rest of the North, the North infects the whole nation, Nigeria infects the West African subregion, which then infects the rest of Africa, thereby destabilizing the whole continent.
A heart-breaking audio clip making rounds on social media of a grieving grandmother who had just lost her son-in-law to COVID-19 in Kano city sums up the feeling of helplessness of people in the city. She was venting her frustrations at NCDC officials in Kano who switched off their phones and those at their HQ. in Abuja that refused to return her calls when she desperately needed them. She narrated how her son-in-law was initially taken to a Private Hospital then transferred to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) where he died shortly after arrival.
It is now common knowledge in Kano that NCDC officials in the city are not responding to people’s distress calls because they are short-staffed and have no working materials or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This unacceptable situation has resulted in many of them being infected by the virus, resulting in the closure of the only test center in Kano.
Below is an example of one of the many distress calls and text messages I have been receiving from unknown Kano residents:
“Good afternoon Prof., One of my staff lost his mother today Friday 24th, April 2020 to circumstances similar to COVID-19 with (sudden fever, coughing, and rapid breathing). When we went to bury her at 9.30 am, we discovered that my mother’s body was the 18th to be buried since dawn (a time span of 3-4 hours). Why is the Kano State Governor denying COVID-19 deaths in Kano? People should please speak up and get us help.”
There are also reliable reports indicating that cemetery workers in the city have been censored and directed by State officials not to give any interviews divulging the number of burials.
The Kano State Government (KNSG) is clearly downplaying and denying these deaths just like officials in Wuhan, China did at the beginning of the pandemic. In fact, the Governor appeared on Channels TV, spouting these denials while in the same breath asking for N15b aid from the Federal Government. The next day, his Commissioner of Health appeared on the same Station stating it was just 640 deaths in six days. Kano State, in spite of its population density, is the most notorious state where social distancing measures are least enforced and obeyed, with youths still playing football while gatherings in mosques and weddings continue as if all is well.
As a result of his negligence, Gov. Ganduje is also exporting COVID-19 to the neighboring states of Katsina and Jigawa by repatriating hundreds of Almajiris who are most likely infected by COVID-19 to their States of origin. This, in my opinion, was a very thoughtless and dangerous action.
The Governor initially set up a State Task Force with his daughter as a member. Despite being a Medical Resident, she is said to wield so much power that even the Deputy Governor defers to her and the educated views of senior medical professionals are not taken seriously. The task force is now virtually moribund since its key members went into isolation after testing positive for the virus.
I urge all sons and daughters of Kano wherever you are, to step up and raise your voices to save your people from this catastrophe, silence is not an option at this defining moment.
Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje must bear full responsibility before man and God Almighty for the chaos that is costing the lives of so many souls which is simply a reflection of his poor leadership, incompetence, corruption, and lack of compassion for his people.
The Federal Government needs to urgently step in to stem the rising death count before it is too late.
In summary
(a). COVID-19 death toll is undeniably rising daily in Kano
(b). KNSG lacks the will, capacity, compassion, transparency, or the trust of its people to arrest the situation
(c). KNSG is in denial and doing all in its power to hide these deaths.
(d). Healthcare workers in Kano are in mortal danger without PPE.
(e). Private Hospitals are shutting down due to fear of infecting their staff and for lack of capacity to deal with COVID-19 patients.
(f). Government hospitals are increasingly getting overwhelmed with poor staffing, lack of PPE, drugs, consumables, bed spaces, or ventilators.
(g). The only COVID-19 Testing Centre in Kano has now been shut down, leaving millions of people in the whole NW zone without access to testing.
(h). People are living in fear, uncertainty, anger, frustration, and feel abandoned by both the state and federal governments.
(i). Concerns about social unrest are real and should be taken seriously by both the State and Federal governments.
Recommendations
(I). Immediate and forceful Federal presence in Kano.
(ii). The Presidential Task Force should relocate to Kano and make it its new theatre of operation reporting to the President.
(iii). People should immediately be provided with food supplies to enable humane but strict enforcement of total lockdown, which remains the only way of breaking the spread of the virus.
(iv). The President should address the Nation on these deaths with specific plans on what the FGN will do.
(v). NCDC lab in Kano should immediately be opened with increased testing capacity.
(vi). Healthcare workers should immediately be provided with PPE.
(vii). Hospitals need drugs, consumables, ICU spaces, and ventilators.
(viii). All Deaths and infections from COVID-19 should be properly recorded.
(ix). Swabs should be taken for the COVID-19 test from all corpses to enable proper mapping of the spread of the virus and the protection of contacts.
(x). Recruit an Army of Contact Tracers from local Nurses and Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWS) to help in tracing contacts.
(xi). Engage Traditional, Religious, and Community leaders (xii). Aggressive public education campaign
Usman Yusuf is a Professor of Haematology-Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation.
Suspect returned to Kano to face investigation, prosecution
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking has arrested a suspected gang leader and sponsor, Ishaq Lawan Ibrahim, popularly known as Malam Keya, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
KANO FOCUS reports that the 27-year-old suspect, from Yelwa in Dala Local Government Area of Kano State, is accused of sponsoring violent gang clashes that have claimed lives and heightened insecurity in parts of the state.
The task force disclosed this in a statement, saying the suspect was arrested following intelligence-led operations after allegedly fleeing Kano as security operations against gang violence intensified.
According to the statement, operatives tracked him to Port Harcourt and arrested him in an operation led by the task force’s Head of Operations, CSP Bashir Gwadabe. He has since been returned to Kano.
The task force alleged that Malam Keya played a leading role in orchestrating and financing hoodlums involved in violent attacks in Dala and other affected communities.
The areas reportedly affected by the gang violence include Jakara, Madigawa, Yalwa, Sanka, Kul Kul, Dogon Nama, Kukar Bulukiya, Dala, Shatsari and Dandalin Turawa.
Confirming the arrest, the task force chairman, Barr Muhuyi Magaji Rimin Gado, said the operation demonstrated the agency’s determination to pursue suspected sponsors of violence beyond Kano State.
“Let me assure you that those who bankroll violence should know that no distance, and no hiding place, will protect them. This arrest is only the beginning. We will not rest until peace is fully restored,” he said.
The task force said the suspect remained in custody for further investigation and would be prosecuted upon the conclusion of the investigation.
It added that its operations would continue in accordance with the law, with all suspects entitled to due process.
The agency also pledged to sustain efforts to dismantle criminal gangs, identify their alleged sponsors and disrupt drug supply networks linked to criminal activities.
It urged residents, community and religious leaders, parents and youths to support security efforts by reporting suspicious persons and activities, monitoring their neighbourhoods and discouraging young people from being recruited into criminal gangs.
The task force described public cooperation as essential to restoring peace and security across the state.
It also acknowledged the support of the Kano and Rivers state police commands and other law enforcement agencies in the operation.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Police Command has foiled an alleged kidnapping plot in Gezawa Local Government Area and arrested two 20-year-old suspects over threats to abduct a village head.
KANO FOCUS reports that the suspects, identified as Aliyu Naziru Garba and Bashir Alhasan, were arrested following intelligence-led operations by police operatives attached to the Gezawa Divisional Police Headquarters.
The command disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday by its spokesperson, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa.
According to the statement, the incident was reported on October 26, 2026, at about 1:30 a.m. by the village head of Bangare, Mallam Idris, who told the police that he had received a threatening phone call from an unidentified person on October 24 at about 9:33 p.m.
The caller allegedly threatened to kidnap him.
Following the report, police operatives launched a follow-up operation, which led to the arrest of the two suspects.
“The suspects have confessed to the commission of the crime,” the statement said, adding that investigations were ongoing and the suspects would be charged to court upon completion.
The Commissioner of Police in Kano State, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, commended officers of the Gezawa Division for their swift and professional response.
Bakori reiterated the command’s zero-tolerance stance on criminal activities and said the operation aligned with the policing vision of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, which prioritises intelligence-led and technology-driven policing, professionalism and proactive crime prevention.
The police urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious persons or movements to the nearest police station.
The command also provided the following emergency contact numbers for reporting security concerns: 08032419754, 08123821575 and 09029292926.
The Eurodite scholar alleges that insurgents continue to exert influence in parts of the North, while the summit calls for stronger security measures and urgent action to address the plight of affected communities.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Dr Usman Bugaje, a scholar and political activist, has criticised Nigeria’s political leadership over persistent insecurity in Muslim-majority communities, describing the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket as a “fraud” allegedly used to win voters’ support without addressing their challenges.
KANO FOCUS reports that Bugaje spoke at a one-day summit organised by the Islamic Forum of Nigeria in Kano on Saturday, with the theme, “Dilemma of Muslims in Nigeria: The Way Forward.”
The summit brought together Islamic scholars, professionals and other stakeholders to discuss insecurity, economic hardship, religious discrimination and other challenges confronting Muslims in the country.
Dr Bugaje argued that the religious identity of political leaders had not translated into adequate protection for Muslim communities, despite the support they received from voters.
He said persistent insecurity and economic hardship raised questions about the benefits of political arrangements built around religious identity.
Citing the security situation in the North-East, Bugaje alleged that Boko Haram insurgents continued to wield influence in communities around Maiduguri, where they reportedly collected taxes and held court sessions to settle disputes among residents.
He also expressed concern over the security situation in Sokoto State, claiming that residents travelling from the state capital to Isa Local Government Area could do so only twice a week with the support of the Joint Task Force (JTF).
The scholar argued that the situation underscored the failure of political representation based on religious identity to guarantee safety and improve living conditions for the people.
He further raised concerns about Nigeria’s dependence on imported medicines, claiming that about 70 per cent of drugs used in the country were imported.
Dr Bugaje said strengthening domestic pharmaceutical production and protecting the country’s territorial integrity were important measures of national independence.
He also warned about drug abuse among young people and women, describing it as a threat to the social and economic wellbeing of Muslim communities.
Earlier, Professor Sulaiman Abdullahi Karwai of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket did not necessarily represent Muslim interests, arguing that politicians had adopted the arrangement as an electoral strategy because of the large Muslim population in Nigeria.
Prof Karwai lamented the economic hardship facing Nigerians, citing inflation, fuel subsidy removal, exchange-rate changes and tax reforms as factors contributing to the difficulties experienced by citizens.
He also raised concerns about insecurity, including the reported abduction and killing of a professor and a nurse at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, as well as what he described as inadequate federal capital projects in Muslim-majority states.
Recalling the late General Sani Abacha’s establishment of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), Karwai said its interventions helped support health and educational institutions amid increases in fuel prices.
The summit’s chairman, Alhaji Gidado Mukhtar, said Nigeria was a multi-religious country in which citizens should be free to practise their faith.
He said the summit was convened to examine challenges confronting Muslims, including insecurity, religious discrimination and persecution.
The National Chairman of the Islamic Forum of Nigeria, General Ahmad Daku (rtd), represented by his deputy, Alhaji Muhammad Tukur Bello, said the meeting was intended to assess the situation of Muslims and identify a way forward.
The forum’s Acting Executive Secretary, Alhaji Dalhatu Muhammad Gwarzo, said the discussions addressed major challenges affecting Muslim communities, particularly banditry, kidnapping and religious discrimination.
Alhaji Gwarzo said the summit called on state governors and members of the National and State Assemblies to remember the plight of affected communities and take concrete steps to address their problems.
He added that the leaders had been urged to act decisively, noting that Allah was aware of the situation confronting the people.
He also called on Muslims and other Nigerians to intensify prayers for divine intervention, while urging Imams to pray for Allah’s guidance and solutions to the country’s challenges and sensitise the Muslim community, particularly during Friday sermons.
The forum said a committee would be constituted to review the summit’s resolutions and develop an actionable plan for implementation.
In its communiqué, the summit called for stronger security measures, a review of economic policies it said were worsening hardship, fairness in federal appointments, protection of the right to wear hijab and greater cooperation among Muslim organisations.
It also urged Muslim communities and organisations to invest in education, healthcare, economic empowerment and Islamic social finance as part of efforts to tackle poverty and improve human development.
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