Health Alert! Confusion as Strange Illness Wipes Out 38 Persons in Abuja Village

Minister of Health, Isaac Folorunso Adewole

Residents of Abuja and environs are on the alert after a strange illness killed 38 persons in Dei-Dei axis of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

No fewer than 38 persons have died in strange circum­stances in Saburi 1, a slum settlement in the Dei-Dei axis of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Daily Sun reports.

This has left residents of the community in great fear as yet another death of a 14-year old girl identified as Mariam Mustapha was reported last weekend in similar circumstance.

According to reports, the victims of the strange illness were said to have complained of headache or fever and possibly take medication from the patent medicine dealers, and the next day would mysteriously die.

A nurse, Ms Sa­lome Maikalfi confirmed that the death of the victims was not just ordinary. She said the issue was more spiritual than medical.

“What we hear is that somebody will complain of headache; they will go to a local drug dealer and buy medicine. None of them went to the hospital, but, before you knew it, the person would die within two days.

“Most of the victims were said to have complained of seeing strange light rays or objects they could not describe in the night before dying,” she said.

According to the Daily Sun report, members of the community believe the gods were not happy because the chief allegedly sold their grave yard to people to build residential houses.

Another resident, Bless­ing Sunday, who operates a food kiosk said they were still waiting for the outcome of the visit of the FCTA of­ficials “who came and even tested the water in the area.

“They came here two times in February, and, till now no result. We didn’t hear anything from anybody. I can’t tell whether anybody cares about us again; you can see that the population of the community has reduced, many people have left, those of us remaining are in fear of what will happen next,” she said.

The Dankaci Saburi 1, Alhaji Muham­mad Yamwawo speaking through an interpreter, confirmed that the commu­nity recently recorded mul­tiple deaths, but refused to comment on the allegation of sale of burial ground. The residents have called on the government to immediately come to their aid.