Coronavirus: Ex-PPMC Managing Director, Achimugu, becomes first person to die in Nigeria
*Total number of cases now 36
By Olamilekan FAWAS
A former Managing Director of Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Suleiman Achimugu, has died of coronavirus.
Achimugu, who returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom two weeks ago, started showing symptoms of the virus last Tuesday, according to reports.
He eventually died around 2:00am on Monday after coughing severely for most part of Sunday.
A family source told online news portal, SaharaReporters that officials of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) 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 on Monday.
It was also learnt 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 36 confirmed cases of Coronavirus.
