EXCLUSIVE: Imo Hotelier Identified As Second COVID-19 Case To Die In Nigeria

Christogonus Aguwa Osuagwu, a hotelier who hailed from Imo state but based in Abuja, has been identified as suspected second case of Nigeria’s corona virus death, BIGPEN can report.

He reportedly died in Abuja on Sunday after he developed symptoms associated with coronavirus on his returned from a COVID-19 prone country abroad some weeks ago.

The deceased who was evacuated from Owerri, the Imo state capital some weeks ago, has been on quarantine in Abuja after he became symptomatic to the deadly corona virus infection.

Sources privy to the development from his home town in Ahiazu Mbaise, Imo state, disclosed that the hotelier may have died of COVID-19.

“Aguwa was said to have returned to Nigeria from COVID-19 prone countries (Europe) in the last few days. He reportedly left Abuja to his Hotel in Owerri, later visited his family at Ahiazu Mbaise LGA, before returning back to Abuja were he died of unconfirmed illness, though suspected to be COVID-19”.

The deceased is the Chief Executive Office of Fancy Hotel, Umuguma, Owerri, Imo State.

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BIGPEN exclusively gathered that the hotel, including about 41 occupants have been lock down by security operatives comprises of regular policemen and personnel of Department of State Security (DSS) since Saturday when news of the visit of the suspected COVID-19 case infiltrated in.

Investigations revealed that the hotel located at road 7, Umuguma, Imo Housing Estate, has been quarantined by the state government.

All lodged guests including the security orderly of the disease have been isolated and quarantined in the hotel for a period of 14 days awaiting test results.

It was also learnt that the disease family members at Obohia, Ahiazu Mbaise LGA has been identified by the government of Imo State and quarantined too.

Meanwhile, earlier on Monday at a press briefing in Abuja, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, confirmed the death of a second coronavirus case but did not disclose the identity of the victim and where the death took place.

Ehanire who had some weeks ago said he has no permission to disclose identity of patients, however said the “fatality was recorded over the weekend in the person of a patient who had severe underlying illnesses”.

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“We have intensified contact tracing and our strategy remains to promptly detect cases, isolate them, and follow up with their contacts and also isolate and treat, in order to reduce the spread of the infection.”

But when contacted however, the State Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba, confirmed that the hotel was sealed by security agents but declined to comment if the owner died of deadly corona virus disease.

He said that the hotel was lock down because its management had ran foul of safety directives of the state government. 

But a resident of the neighbourhood who simply gave his name as Emeka Ezeruo, accused the Imo state government of playing politics with the coronavirus pandemic.

He said that the state government was trying to keep secret the case and possibly cause of the death of the hotelier.  

“This people should at least tell us the truth. Nobody should play politics with this pandemic.

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“If there is a suspect or suspicion, they should tell the people so they can take appropriate measures. How can the DSS and other security agencies occupy this area since morning and government still carry on as if nothing is amiss.

“It is not even in the news, nobody has been told anything about this ugly drama here. And there is also the suspicion that the manager got out before the lockdown.

“All these are breeding fear and tension if authorities do not address them as they unfold”, he lamented.

Sources disclosed that there are presently three suspected cases in Imo whose test results were being awaited.