The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been ravaging parts of the world since it was first detected in December 2019, in Wuhan, the capital of China’s Hubei province. The disease has since spread worldwide resulting in over 2m cases and over 100,000 deaths globally. In Nigeria, the federal ministry of health stated that the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Lagos state on February 27, 2020, through an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and returned from Milan, Italy to Lagos. Since then, the number of coronavirus cases have been on the rise. According to data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), as of April 17, 2020, there were 493 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in Nigeria, among them, 159 patients had recovered while 17 deaths were recorded.
In this article Legit.ng reports on 3 prominent Nigerians who have died from the COVID-19 infection.
1. Suleiman Achimugu Niger:
The first prominent person on the list is Suleiman Achimugu, a former managing director of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of the NNPC who died from COVID-19. The 67-year-old former managing director was confirmed to have died of the virus on Sunday, March 22, following symptoms of the disease shortly after his return to the country from the United Kingdom. Achimugu’s death was the first recorded casualty of the COVID-19 infection according to the NCDC. It was explained that the former managing director who was in self-isolation upon his return from the UK personally called the NCDC after experiencing some discomfort that was related to COVID 19 symptoms. He tested positive for coronavirus and was promptly evacuated to a specialist hospital where he died while being treated.
2. Victor Ikwuemesi:
Victor Ikwuemes was diagnosed with the coronavirus in a London hospital Source: UGC Another prominent Nigeria who passed on as a result of the coronavirus is Victor Ikwuemesi, the chairman of the defunct Sosoliso Airlines. May their souls rest in peace. Ikwuemesi was reported to have died on April 14, 2020, in London, United Kingdom, after he was diagnosed with the coronavirus. The deceased was reported to have been experiencing difficulty in breathing and was placed on a ventilator in the intensive care unit before he died.
3. Abba Kyari
Abba Kyari tested positive for the coronavirus in March after a trip to Germany and Egypt. The most prominent Nigerian so far known to have died of the coronavirus is Abba Kyari, the chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, who died from complications of COVID-19 on Friday, April 17. Kyari had tested positive for the coronavirus in March after a trip to Germany and Egypt. The chief of staff was flown to Lagos state for treatment shortly after he tested positive for the deadly coronavirus. The 81-year-old lawyer, businessman and politician had expressed the hope of recovering from the illness, but sadly he did not recover from the dealy infection. Abba Kyari was buried in Abuja on Saturday, April 18. He had told the minister of state for labour and employment, Festus Keyamo, that he was fine and would faithfully take the treatments. Abba Kyari died of COVID-19 on Friday, April 17, according to an announcement from the Nigerian presidency. He was buried in Abuja on Saturday, April 18.
