How Nigeria's first coronavirus victim died

A relative of Nigeria’s first coronavirus fatality, who was identified as Suleiman Achimugu, has said the deceased showed strange symptoms before he died.

Mr Achimugu who recently returned home following a medical treatment in the UK died of coronavirus on Sunday.

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control(NCDC), the victim had underlying medical conditions – multiple myeloma and diabetes – and was undergoing chemotherapy before returning to Nigeria.

According to the World Health Organisation, patients with diabetes may be at extra risk for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) mortality.

In a phone interview with Channels TV, Abubakar Achimugu said the deceased was in self-isolation for two weeks, following the advisory by the WHO.

“When he got back on March 10, his temperature was okay that he could still take extra precaution by self-isolation for 14 days. That was exactly what he did,” he said

“But after a week in isolation, he started experiencing unusual symptoms similar to those publicised on COVID-19”, he added.

The late Achimugu was said to have informed the (NCDC) personally of his conditions after which he was immediately taken to the COVID-19 centre in Abuja where he tested positive.

“He was experiencing symptoms that were alien to him. After the tests, a day after, the results were made available which came out positive, which was on Saturday.

“Then they arranged that he be evacuated to the COVID-19 centre in Abuja,” he said.

Commending the NCDC’s prompt response in handling the situation, Mr Achimugu said everything happened according to God’s will.

Mr Achimugu was buried on Sunday, according to Islamic rites.

He was a former Managing Director of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC).

PPMC is the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) subsidiary in charge of petroleum products marketing and distribution.

Global death toll

According to Worldometer, there are 353,766 cases of Coronavirus with 15,419 deaths globally.

Nigeria currently has 36 cases of Coronavirus with one death.

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