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MURIC director, Ishaq Akintola |
In a statement on Monday, MURIC Director, Ishaq Akintola, lamented the unusual deaths, saying Kano needed help urgently, and then surprisingly brought a religious angle to the matter, warning of a threat to the “majority status” Nigerian Muslims enjoy “in the area of demography.”
“The only testing centre in Kano which is situated at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital has also been allegedly locked up. So where did NCDC get its figure on Kano? Something is fishy here. We are surprised that testing centres are almost nonexistent in the North.
“Is this a deliberate attempt at debilitating Northern population with its attendant impact on Muslim majority population in the country?
“We, therefore, demand an inquiry into circumstances surrounding the alleged closure of NCDC office in Kano State as well as the paucity of testing centres in the whole North.
“Nigerian Muslims are currently enjoying a majority status in the area of demography. We must avoid anything capable of decimating our population.
“We urge Kano citizens to strictly obey rules set by health officials, particularly social distancing, washing hands regularly with soap, using sanitizers and staying at home. You must break the cycle of this killer virus.
Kano State has seen a spike in mystery deaths in one week amid COVID-19 threats.
With scant resources nationally and low capacity to test, authorities are yet to determine if COVID-19 caused the deaths.