Bauchi state government has described the multiple deaths being recorded in Azare Katagum Local Government Area of the state as ‘normal and seasonal deaths’.
Reacting to media reports suggesting that the deaths could be COVID-19 related, Bauchi Deputy Governor, Baba Tela, dismissed this, saying the state has recorded only one COVID-19 related death.
Tela, who doubles as the chairman of Bauchi Task Force on Covid-19, posited that Azare shares the same peculiarities with Kano and Jigawa states hence, the strange deaths being recorded as experienced in Kano.
His words, “I went to the cemetery to investigate the report of multiple deaths in Azare but I confirmed that it was normal and seasonal deaths.
“Yes, they buried nothing less than six bodies a day, contrary to what was reported, so it was false reports.
“We agree that most of the deaths occurred within the same age brackets with those deaths recorded in Kano.
“The reason is that Kano, Jigawa, and Azare have the same peculiarities,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the deputy governor as saying.
However, he said the government has directed the Commissioner for Health to investigate the root cause of the ailment that was causing the deaths of some people in Azare.
Prompt News recalls that the state governor, Bala Mohammed, had also tested positive for coronavirus. He has however been treated and confirmed negative twice before returning to work.
