Inside Nigeria
Ex-PPMC MD, Suleiman Achimugu, Is Nigeria’s First Coronavirus Death
Nigeria has recorded her first Coronavirus death after the first victim was discovered in Lagos on February 28. A former Managing Director of Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Suleiman Achimugu, died of the Coronavirus at the wee hours of Monday.
Achimugu, who returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom two weeks ago, started showing symptoms of the virus last Tuesday, according to findings to the family.
He eventually died around 2:00am on Monday after coughing severely for most part of Sunday.
A family source disclosed that officials of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control were informed of his situation and even took his blood sample for testing but they never got back to his family until he died overnight.
His blood sample tested positive for the virus.
“NCDC officials came to the house and took his blood specimen. Even though it tested positive, they never got back to us until he died at a hospital in Gwagwalada.
“We are all currently under quarantine in the house,” a family source said.
It was also gathered that the NCDC will handle Achimugu’s burial so as to avoid a further spread of the virus.
Earlier on Monday, the NCDC announced that Nigeria now had a total number of 35 confirmed cases of Coronavirus.