‘We’re becoming overwhelmed’– undertakers in Kano worry over increasing deaths 

Some undertakers in Kano have expressed worries over the increasing rate of burials in the past one week.

According to Daily Trust, over 150 people were reported to have died in Kano between Friday and Saturday and were buried in three cemeteries. 

Bashir Mohammed, one of the undertakers at the Dandolo cemetery in Goron Dutse, Dala local government area of the state was quoted to have said: “This is worrisome, we are becoming overwhelmed by what we are seeing here these days because to me, the way people are dying is not ordinary.” 

Mohammed reportedly said between Saturday and Sunday, more than 30 people were buried in the cemetery, and this was in contrast to the maximum daily record of 10 burials. 

The newspaper also reported that 61 persons were buried over the weekend at the Abattoir cemetery near Kofar Mazugal. Most of the deaths were said to be from Zage, Darma, Sharifai and Gabari and Zangon Barebari communities in Kano municipal.

Although, residents did not link the cause of the death to COVID-19, as of Monday, Kano recorded 59 cases of the disease, putting the state in a third place behind Lagos and the federal capital territory (FCT) with 376 and 89 cases respectively.

Sheriff Hadi Kabir, chairman of Fagge cemetery committee, who also lost his father recently, was said to have suspected the cause to be malaria and typhoid.  

“This is not coronavirus as speculated; it is severe malaria because of our exposure to mosquito bites. We have been battling this kind of experience almost on yearly bases around this time. So, we are praying to the government to come to our rescue because this malaria is deadly than the COVID-19,” he reportedly said.

Reacting, the state task force on COVID-19 said it has activated the community informants structure of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to report deaths and cause of deaths and has also deployed officers in all cemeteries to count bodies brought in for burial every day. 

Auwalu Abdu Fagge, the state health educator, in a statement said: “We cannot afford to let the good people of Kano to panic and lose confidence in our response. I must state that we are more courageous than ever in a bid to contain this pandemic.” 

Editor’s note: The photo in this report is only for illustrative purpose.