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Kogi Declares Public Holiday, To Party Over Buhari’s Medical Sojourn, 62 Killed By Unknown Disease

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Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has declared Monday, August 21, as a public holiday and thanksgiving day for the safe return of President Muhammadu Buhari from London.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Director-General, Media and Publicity to the governor, Mr Kingsley Fanwo.

According to the statement, the gesture is in line with the support and prayers of the Kogi people for the renaissance of the nation by the President.

Apart from using the holiday to thank God for the President’s return, the governor expects the people to pray for the President as he resumes and proceed to reposition the country.

President Muhammadu Buhari returned to Nigeria on Saturday, 103 days after he left the country for London to receive medical attention.

Meanwhile, only last week, the Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Saka Audu, said that the alleged unknown disease has been diagnosed to be gastroenteritis.

He, therefore, called for calmness.

The commissioner told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lokoja that those so far diagnosed were found to be suffering from gastroenteritis and malaria.

The state Ministry of Health, had in a statement, said that the disease killed many people in Okunran, Okoloke and Isanlu-Esa in Yagba West Local Government Area.

“The current information available to us is that the disease actually started six weeks ago in Okoloke village in Yagba West, which is a settlement that is predominantly inhabited by Fulani herdsmen.

“There have been cases of reported deaths following abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea, but the patients who showed signs of illness had since been evacuated and transported to Kogi State Specialist Hospital Lokoja, for better treatment.

“So far, we have evacuated 39 patients from Okoloke area and only six of them were admitted and have shown significant sign of improvement while others have since been discharged.

“Out of the six that were admitted, three of them were diagnosed of gastroenteritis and the remaining three were just cases of malaria, and they have shown remarkable signs of improvement,” Audu said.

He also stressed that the disease was not Lassa fever, saying the result of samples taken from the patients to Irua General Hospital in Edo State for investigation proved negative.

On the 62 persons earlier reported to have died, the commissioner said the figure was given by local leaders in the affected areas and was yet to be verified by government.

“We will investigate and trace the dead people to the grave yard and come up with the correct figure.

“We want to assure the general public that government is doing all that is humanly possible to stay on top of the situation and forestall further loss of lives.

“We will continue to inform the public as the investigation progresses,” Mr. Audu said.

(NAN)

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