How Shekau went wild, started beheading victims – Boko Haram negotiator

Amid the dust raised by his allegation linking a former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and an erstwhile Chief of the Army Staff, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika, with the sponsorship of Boko Haram, an Australian negotiator, Dr. Stephen Davis, at the weekend, gave insight into how Abubakar Shekau hijacked the Islamist group.

"The Boko Haram we see today is not the Jama'atu Ahlul Sunnah Lih Da'awa wal Jihad (JAS) that was operational under Yusuf – former  JAS leader killed by the police in 2009", Davis told Sunday Vanguard in an interview.

In the interview conducted online, the negotiator said: "Shekau formed Ansaru which he used for kidnapping and beheading victims.  This behaviour was a major departure from the original mandate of the JAS which was to purify Islam and return it to the exemplary life of the Prophet. Many among the JAS leadership are no longer active and others have been killed. This has allowed Shekau to take the JAS to a more extreme action and expand the frontiers of kidnapping, bombing and slaughtering. The Boko Haram we have today is a much expanded Ansaru. What we see now is not the Yusufiya which wanted very much to settle a score with former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff. It is Boko Haram as a partner to ISIS and Al Shabaab".

Davis admitted that he came to Nigeria in April to facilitate the release of the Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram, but denied that he was engaged by any party and therefore had no obligation to report to anyone.

He claimed to have interacted with former commanders of JAS and others close to Boko Haram during his visit to Nigeria.

Davis didn't speak with real Boko Haram leaders – Nigerian negotiator
Meanwhile, a Nigerian negotiator claimed, yesterday, that Sheriff and Ihejirika could not have been Boko Haram sponsors as  the two men were actually sworn enemies of the Islamist group.

The negotiator, who didn't want to be named for security reasons, told Sunday Vanguard that neither Sherrif nor Ihejirika was a sponsor of the sect.

Shekau in the video released to AFP. Photo: AFP.

The source, who has been assisting the government to find a lasting solution to the insurgency in the North-east, pointed out that Sheriff was even one of the three most wanted enemies of the sect. He did not say who the other two were.

"The statement credited to advise that Sherriff and Ihejirika are sponsors of Boko Haram is far from the truth because, as at  today, the former Borno governor remains one of the three worst enemies of Boko Haram", he stated.

"I can tell you that the group has not forgiven Sheriff over the killing of its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, who was arrested and killed during his tenure as governor".

Confirming the claim by Davis  that he was not hired by the Nigerian government to broker peace with the sect, the source said that the Australian came on his own to secure the release of the Chibok girls.

He said that while in Nigeria, Davis never met the real commanders of Boko Haram but depended on information from a member of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Amnesty for information on the activities of the sect.

The source blamed what is now playing out  on the issue of Boko Haram sponsorship on the information given to Davis by the member of the presidential committee.

He said,"We can say with all amount of seriousness that Davis did not meet the leadership and main commanders of Boko Haram during his visit to the North-east.

"If Davis insists that he met with any senior commander or leader of the sect, we challenge him to mention their names and ranks".

Northern Youth Forum calls for expulsion of Lamido from PDP

KANO – A pan Arewa Youth Group,  Northern Youths Forum, has called on the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to expelled the Jigawa Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido from the party.

A statement made available to reporters in Kano, Friday, signed by the Director Publicity, Jigawa chapter of  Northern Youth Forum, Sani Talba Auyo stated that Governor Lamido's recent positon on the endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan by the PDP North West political family was done to score cheap publicity.

The statement noted that the Jigawa Governor's political "tantamount to open disobedience to party leaders and Mr. President."

Alhaji Sani Talba Auto in the widely circulated statement expressed utter dismay why Jigawa governor is uncomfortable with the growing number of Nigerians calling on Mr. President to contest 2015 general election.

The Northern Youth Forum further called on Nigerians to ignore Lamidos comments and maintain their support and solidarity to the Transformation Agenda and Good luck Jonathan bid for reelection in 2015.

The Pan Arewa Youth Group stressed that "It is now obvious that Governor Lamido hasn't stop attack on Nigerian leaders when they refuse to submit to blackmail".

The Youth Forum in the statement lament that Alhaji Sule Lamido igawa "doesn't have masses or the north at heart other than his personal political goals.

Boko Haram: No plan to prosecute Ihejirika, Sherrif – FG

ABUJA – FEDERAL Government, weekend, disclosed that it did not have any plan to prosecuting any Nigerian for now based on the various allegations made by Dr Stephen Davis, an Australian man.

The government also denied hiring Stephen Davis, saying that it was not clear yet on his alleged status, as acting as a Boko Haram negotiator on its behalf.

Recently, Stephen Davis who claimed to be acting as negotiator between the sect and the federal government for the safe release of the over 200 abducted girls from Government Girl Secondary School, Chilbok, in Borno state on 14 April 2014 was allegedly hired by the government.

Davis had insisted that former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff and former Chief of Army Staff, General Onyeabo Azubuike Ihejirika are Boko Haram sponsors.

He also accused an unnamed senior official of the Central Bank of Nigeria as well as a man based in Cairo, Egypt whom he claimed operates as Boko Haram's bagman as major players in the funding and continued existence of the deadly Islamist sect.

Dr Davis, who said he did not want to mention the name of the CBN official, as it may affect investigation by Nigeria's security service, stated that his allegations were informed by discussions he had with several Boko Haram field commanders over a long period of time.

Reacting to this during a security briefing, on Friday, in Abuja, the Coordinator of the National Information Centre, Mike Omeri insisted that the Federal Government had not hired anybody to negotiate on its behalf with the Boko Haram sect.

"For now, the Federal Government of Nigeria have not appointed anyone to negotiate on its behalf with the Boko Haram sect, anytime it decides to do so, the Federal Government will make it known to the public"

"On the various allegations made by the alleged negotiator, the Federal Government is still investigating it, whatever should be done rightly will be done but there is no plan to probe any Nigerian for now," he said.

On the declaration of Islamic Caliphate in Gwoza and Bama by the Boko Haram sect, Omeri insisted that Bama and Gwoza still remains part of Nigeria.

"Bama and Gwoza still remains part of Nigeria, the Federal Government will not cease any part of its territory to any group as troops are still on ground in Borno state and are capable of defending the state no matter the situation," he said.

However, he said he could not confirm, if 21 local governments had been taken over by the Boko Haram sect as being alleged by some Nigerians.

On the abducted Chibok girls, Omeri said the release of the girls still remains paramount to the Federal Government as their abduction still remains a source of concern.

Ebola: Nation’s land borders remain porous — Vanguard Investigations

Efforts by Nigeria to contain the out-break of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, in the country, may come to nought as Vanguard investigations revealed that peoples move seamlessly through the nation's land borders without screening for EVD.

Though travellers at the airports are screened at the point of entry, nothing of such takes place at the land borders.

A visit to Seme border shows free movement of immigrants across both the Nigerian and Benin Republic sides of the border unhindered.

To worsen the threat, security operatives and others at the Seme border were seen performing their duties without protective gear like hand-gloves or infra-red thermometre guns.

Though officials of Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, and Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS were seen wearing gloves and Port Health Control, PHC, kitted and armed with instruments believed to be infra-red thermometre guns, they were not using them.

Most times, those wearing hand gloves and having other instruments were seen idling without putting their instruments into use.

However, officials of the PHC, NIS and NCS insisted that they were doing everything to ensure that victims of EVD did not come into the country through Seme.

One PHC official told Vanguard that they had instruction only to concentrate on passengers coming into the country in organised vehicles.

According to the official, most of those moving in and out of the country were Seme residents who cross the border daily.

He said every passenger or student coming into the country was made to fill a form which gives details of names, address, phone number, email, among others, to help track anyone suspected to have the virus.

Officer-in-charge of PHS at the border, Emmanuel Onile, told Vanguard that he was not permitted to speak on the issue and directed Vanguard to Ikeja where the director of PHS, Lagos State, Dr. Alex Okoh, has his offices.

However, a senior official of PHC attributed the easy crossing at the border from both sides to the fact that residents of Seme lived on both sides of the border (Krake Seme and Ponji Seme).

This, according to the official, was also supported by Economic Community of West African State, ECOWAS, treaty of free movement.

Personnel

The official explained that "all their personnel at the border are well trained and equipped to detect anyone suspected to have high fever. Because we are working in collaboration with other security agencies, the NCS at the border made available space close to its clinic to serve as holding bay in case anyone is suspected to be a victim."

Similarly, Customs Area Controller, CAC, of Seme Command, Comptroller Willy Egbudin, told Vanguardthat the service provided its officials of engaged in inspection of cargo with hand gloves for protection.

Egbudin explained that they were on the look out for bush meat being imported into the country, but stressed that so far they had not found any.

On the contrary, air travellers are mandated to undergo screening exercise at the points of entry in line with government's directive that all passengers passing through or arriving Nigeria through all the international airports must be screened.

The Federal Government had made it mandatory that all passengers passing through or arriving Nigeria through all the international airports must be subjected to screening.

 

Screening

This is aimed at preventing passengers from affected West African countries from importing EVD into the country after the unfortunate case of the Liberian-American, Mr. Patrick Sawyer.

Port Health officials have been deployed at all international airports to do the screening of passengers and are seen screening incoming passengers.

Speaking on the screening, Director of Port Health Services, member of the Incidence Management Centre, IMC, for the EVD and head of the committee on points of entry, Dr. Sani Gwarzo, said it was now mandatory for pilots to declare "any event in the air in case one of the passengers vomited or had diarrhoea or was bleeding or was sick or had high fever, or whatever event that occurs in the air; and also the passengers were mandated to declare their health status before disembarking."

On the ground screening at the airport, Gwarzo said the Federal Ministry of Health, had specially trained personnel at the airports that screen passengers' temperature with handheld infra-red devices, and plans were on to procure equipment that could mass screen passengers' temperatures.

According to him: "On a daily basis we screen travellers. Right now what we are doing is to use a hand-held device, which we call infra-red thermometer. It can point a laser-guided ray to the forehead or temple of a person and from a short distance we can check the temperature without touching the person.

"So as every passenger is passing by we check the temperature and if we see your temperature is high we pull the person aside and do further evaluation.

"A passenger is pulled aside when his temperature is above 37.5 degrees Fahrenheit and taken to the isolation room of the Port Health officials at the airport for further evaluation and possible transfer to a medical facility for proper laboratory test and medical examination and analysis by medical doctors."

Gwarzo also explained that manual screening of passengers had been challenging, saying, "this is cumbersome because we have to do it manually, one by one and we are also in the process of acquiring equipment that can mass-scan people as they are passing immigration. We are also introducing new regulations.

"In the past, aircraft on arrival at the airport were asked to declare "its health situation," which is called the "general declaration."

"Pilots, as they land, hand over health report aboard the plane to the Port Service staff. As soon as they are okay with the report, they declare the aircraft safe to open its doors in Nigeria for people to come out. But right now because of the Ebola issue, events can occur in the air even after the health status of the aircraft has been declared.

"The pilot is mandated to declare any event in the air, in case one of the passengers vomitted or had diarrhoea or was bleeding or was sick or had high fever, or whatever event that occured in the air. The pilot is mandated to report that to us and also the passengers are mandated to self declare.

"We want every passenger to declare his or her health status by filling a form. The form is so detailed enough to track somebody even several weeks after in his/her home-town.

 

Responsibility

It is also the responsibility of the Ports Health Authority at the airport to ask airlines to give them the manifest of passengers on board any flight that had a suspected case of Ebola virus. This is to enable them monitor all those that boarded the flight.

Passengers and airlines have expressed satisfaction with the precautionary measures by the Federal Government at containing the spread EVD.

A Nigerian passenger, from Gabon, who identified himself as Albert, said that he was aware of Ebola out-break and so he decided to submit himself to the screening.

"It is very good measure and it is also good that Nigerian government is trying to do something because of Ebola virus" he said.

The General Manager, Corporate Communications, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati, said the screening was part of measures put in place by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Health to contain the spread of EVD.

He added that government would ensure that airlines at the point of departure would ensure that those infected by the virus were not brought into the country, saying "That means that airlines have to set up their own measures to ensure that those with Ebola are not brought into the country."

D’banj proposes to girlfriend

The founder of DB Records and top entertainer, Dapo Daniel Oyebanjo, popularly known as D'banj seems to have proposed to Adama, his rumoured girlfriend and daughter of billionaire oil magnate, Alhaji Mohammed Indimi.

Adama who had been seen in the company of D'Banj, has been flaunting a diamond ring in new pictures she posted on Instagram, prompting rumors of an engagement. The big question is, has D'Banj proposed to her? Is D'Banj rumoured to have dated Nollywood diva, Genevieve Nnaji in the past ready to settle down?

D'banj is a Nigerian singer-songwriter, harmonica player, and businessman. He has won several music awards, including the awards for Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007, Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009, Best International Act: Africa at the BET Awards 2011, and Best-selling African Artist at the 2014 World Music Awards.

He adopted the stage name D'banj, a combination of his first name Dapo and his surname Oyebanjo. D'banj is currently best known internationally for his 2012 summer hit "Oliver Twist", an uptempo dance fusion of Afrobeat and electronic dance music that topped the African charts 2011 and was a top 10 hit in the UK singles chart in 2012 reaching No. 2 on the UK R&B chart.

Another Ebola victim dies in P-Harcourt

LAGOS — The first confirmed Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, case that was also one of the three persons quarantined in Oduoha, Emohua Local Government Area, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has died of the disease.

The deceased, an elderly woman, is the seventh Ebola fatality to be recorded in the country, and the first death in the new Port Harcourt isolation centre for Ebola.

Rivers State. Governor of the state, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi

She was said to have shared the same room with late Dr. Iyke Enemuo, the doctor who treated the Nigerian ECOWAS diplomat, Koye Olu-Ibukun at the Good Heart Hospital, Port Harcourt, prior to the death of the former from EVD.

It could be recalled that the late woman was  quarantined with a doctor and a pharmacist, who were staff of Sam Steel Clinic, a health facility founded by late Enemuo.

However, following several tests ran on the duo, it was discovered that they were free from Ebola and were given a clean bill of health. Though reports say they were still under medical surveillance.

Presenting an update on the status of EVD, in Nigeria, Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, disclosed that the eighth Ebola patient successfully managed in the Lagos isolation centre was discharged Tuesday.

Chukwu, who gave the  number of cases successfully managed and discharged in the country as eight, explained that the last case to be discharged, (the eighth case) was the first secondary contact to be diagnosed, adding that the patient is a spouse of a primary contact of the index (first) case.

He said: "Total number of cases successfully managed and discharged is now eight.  The last case to be discharged, the first secondary contact to be diagnosed and a spouse of a primary contact of the index case, went home from the isolation ward in Lagos yesterday (Tuesday). The ninth survivor is the ECOWAS Commission official who jumped surveillance in Lagos and travelled to Port Harcourt where he infected the doctor who attended to him."

Chukwu who hinted that schools may re-open from September 15, 2014  as last contacts under surveillance may be discharged by then and the fact  that there were no community transmissions in Nigeria, stressed that the 18th confirmed case of Ebola in Nigeria is the sister of the late Port Harcourt doctor, who is currently on admission in the Lagos isolation centre.

He said: "Total number of deaths from Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria is now seven. One is the index (first) case, which occurred in a private hospital in Lagos; four in the Lagos isolation ward, one in the Port Harcourt isolation ward, the female patient who was on admission in the same hospital where the late Port Harcourt doctor was also admitted, while another one was the doctor who was infected by the ECOWAS Commission official in Port Harcourt and who did not come under the care and management of the Incident Management Committee."

The total number of EVD patients currently under treatment, according to the Minister, is two; one in the Lagos isolation ward and another one in the Port Harcourt isolation ward.

On contacts, Chukwu said 41 contacts are currently under surveillance in Lagos while Port Harcourt has 296.

On the positive side, the minister also revealed that a total of 320 contacts have been discharged in Lagos after they were observed for 21 days.

No Ebola cases outside Lagos, P/Harcourt

He, however, debunked rumours of EVD cases outside Lagos and Port Harcourt.

His words: "These include the three reported cases in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and one case in Calabar."

The minister also dispelled reports that the body of the late Port Harcourt doctor was transported to Edo or Delta State, saying the body has been decontaminated and will be interred in Port Harcourt.

On the rumoured case in Zaria, he said the blood sample has been sent for Ebola testing and result is being awaited.

Disquiet as Kaduna awaits test result of suspected Ebola victim

In Kaduna, the entire state was gripped by anxiety yesterday as result of the test on its first suspected Ebola victim was being awaited.

The issue of the disease was the major focus of public discourse with many praying hard that the result turns negative.

Our correspondent who was at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika, a community on the outskirts of Zaria Town, saw security operatives guarding the patient at his isolated ward. He was isolated in one of the private wards of the hospital, and no person was allowed near him except medical staff attending him.

In a reaction, Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Ambassador Nuhu Bajoga, who is  Chairman, Kaduna State Ebola Prevention and Control Committee, told Vanguard that information available to him was yet to confirm that the condition of the 19-year-old Law undergraduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, suspected of having the virus, may turn out to be something else.

"He has not travelled anywhere near Lagos or the South. The only place he has been of late was the North East.

"Kaduna State is on top of the situation as we already have on ground trained personnel and the facilities needed to contain any outbreak. There is no need to panic", he said.

Also Kaduna State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Thot Dogo, who spoke to newsmen shortly after attending the State Executive Council meeting at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna said the Lagos laboratory where the blood sample of the patient was taken to  was yet to release the result of the test.

Meanwhile, Chief Medical Director, CMD,   Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Professor Khalid Lawal denied receiving an Ebola patient in the hospital.

He said there was no iota of truth in the reports that a 19-year old student of the Faculty of Law, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, was admitted because he was suffering from the dreaded disease. "I can't confirm it because we don't have any test result. We are not taking chances but it is unlikely."

N192.78 million required for PPEs in a month

The migration of the American-Liberian, late Patrick Sawyer, cannot but be described as one disastrous visit. This is because his visit to Nigeria has not only brought pains, unnecessary deaths, emotional stress, but also serious economic burden to the nation.

The Federal Government had last week announced the donation of N200 million to the Lagos State Government for the treatment and management of confirmed patients in Lagos. How far can this go?

Investigations by Vanguard showed that a Personal Protective Equipment, PPE, alone costs N17, 000 on the average. Findings also show that a doctor or nurse needs an average of two to three PPEs daily and the PPEs are all disposable.

Further investigations showed that for the eight doctors managing patients at the Lagos Ebola isolation centre, a total of 24 PPEs would be required in a day, while nurses who number 10 on the average, would require a total of 30 PPEs in a day.

At the cost of N17,000 per PPE, estimates show that Lagos spends on the average, a total of N918,000 on a daily basis, on PPEs alone. This comes to N6.426 million weekly or N192.78 million in a month.

The World Health Organisation,WHO, had supplied the country with over 6,000 PPEs that are currently being used even as the Federal Government has said it considered it very important to have the right PPE in ensuring adequate protection for healthcare workers.

Minister of health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said: "We have also decided that all PPEs to be bought should be in line with specifications provided by the WHO. It was also decided that PPEs will only be procured from WHO-recommended manufacturers/suppliers."

Chukwu had also stated that the government had already initiated discussions with the WHO for the procurement of 4,000 basic PPEs and 500 Heavy Duty PPEs (for use by  morticians).

But when and how these materials will be distributed is of importance to Nigeria.

However, critical observers are of the opinion that if about N918, 000 is spent only on PPE alone a day, the N200 million given to the Lagos State government may be a far cry from the reality on ground.

Doctors are also human – Adeshina

Commenting on the response of the Lagos state government to the EVD in the state, Senior Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Public Healthcare, Dr. Yewande Adeshina said:  "I really want to seek the opportunity to appeal to our healthcare providers, that we have given them training, standard operating procedures and all the information they need to be able to treat Ebola appropriately and make a different diagnosis and to refer patients to the Ebola treatment centre."

Adeshina stressed that all health workers needed to do was to keep the patient in their facilities and call the Ebola help lines for the rapid response team to come and access the patient on a more comprehensive level.

"I think why some doctors hesitate is because of fear. Doctors are human, but some of us are braver. They rather refer patients to the treatment centre; that is not proactive in treating patients. When patients die, they don't have enough information to confirm the cause of death and automatically they call it Ebola.

"Some people give the wrong temperature readings, but the minute the fever kicks in, we have to bring in the patient for treatment. Some people are so scared at that stage, we found out that they were not taking their temperatures well or were not giving us good temperature readings.

Facebook war: Amosun dissociates self from Okada rider’s arraignment

ABEOKUTA — The Ogun State Government, yesterday, denied report that an Okada rider in Sagamu was charged to court and consequently remanded in prison custody for denting Governor Ibikunle Amosun's image on facebook.

Gov Ibikunle Amosun

The government in a statement by Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Abimbola Akeredolu, said: "The state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, knows absolutely nothing about the allegations levelled against the Okada rider and the court case."

A 31-year-old man, Wasiu Ogunnoiki, was reported to have been arraigned before a Magistrate Court I sitting in Sagamu by a  section of media for denting the image of  Amosun on facebook. 

Ogunnoiki, who was arraigned on a two-count charge was subsequently ordered to be remanded in prison custody till December 5, 2014 when his matter will come up again following his failure to meet the bail condition granted him by Chief Magistrate Olawale Ojo.

According to Akeredolu, the governor knew about the case only after reading the report in the newspapers.

He said: "The governor consequently dissociates himself entirely from any such action taken against the said Okada rider or indeed against any other person in that regard.

"As the Chief Law Officer of the state, upon becoming aware of the report, I have examined the provisions of the law under which the Okada rider was allegedly charged to court and cannot find a single correlation between the offence for which he was charged and what he is alleged to have done.

"Nevertheless, the governor has immediately directed the Ministry of Justice to urgently look into the matter to prevent the infringement of the Okada rider's fundamental rights and bring an end to his continued remand in custody."‎

EBOLA: FG to review resumption date for pry/sec schools

The Federal government has decided that the earlier extension of resumption date for primary and secondary schools to the 13th October be reviewed to the middle of September.

Addressing state House correspondents after Wednesday's Federal Executive Council meeting, the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu said the decision to review the extension of resumption date was based on the recommendation of a body of experts set up by government to look at the extension of resumption dates for primary and secondary schools.

According to the Minister, the Minister of Education was directed by council to convene an emergency meeting with all states commissioners of Education in order to agree on when schools can resume nationwide.

Professor Chukwu who briefed council on the status of the Ebola Virus in the country said that only two patients of the Ebola Virus Disease are under treatment in Nigeria with one each in Lagos and Portharcourt.

He explained that since the out break of the Ebola Virus Disease in the country, a total of 18 persons have been infected, out of which 14 were in Lagos and 4 in Portharcourt.

He explained that while 8 patients have been successfully treated and discharged, seven persons incuding the Liberian American have so far died of the disease.

Professor Chukwu noted that out of the 361 persons that were under surveillance in Lagos, only 41 are still under survelience while 320 hitherto under surveliance have been discharged from Lagos since the disease broke in Nigeria.

The Health Minister further revealed that
In Portharcourt, 255 persons are under surveillance adding that the corpse of the medical doctor who died in Portharcourt has been buried after being decontaminated.

On the fate of the Staff of the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) staff who evaded surveillance and traveled to Portharcourt where he infected a doctor, the Minister said government was working on three options namely, strenghtening the quaritine law, seeking advise from the Ministry of foreign affairs on what action to take on the ECOWAS staff as well as seeking legal advice from the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice on what legal action can be taken against him.

On the rumour that some Ebola cases have been reported in some states and Abuja, the minister said some of the runoured cases in the FCT and Cross Rivers turned negative while the case in Zaria, Kaduna state is still being investigated.

Professor Chukwu appealed to Nigerians to avoid spreading unsubstantiated rumour especially on the social media saying this was capable of creating unnecessary panic and fear amongst the populace.

How I survived Ebola – Dennis Akagha

He and his wife-to-be had lofty dreams of living fulfilled lives and raising wonderful children together. The fiance was two months pregnant and their traditional marriage had been fixed for October.

His fiancee, a graduate nurse, had just secured a job at First Consultant Hospital, Lagos. He too also just got a marketing job with an oil and gas company. She was reluctant to go to work on the first day she was expected to resume on account of 'morning sickness' (pregnancy symptoms) and he encouraged her.

She did! Lo and behold, her first duty and first patient to nurse on her first day at work was the late Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American, who brought the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) to Nigeria. And that decision put a full stop to the lofty dreams of a promising family. Welcome to the world of Mr. Dennis Akagha, the husband-to-be of late Miss Justina Ejelonu, the nurse, who contacted and died of the Ebola disease from Mr. Sawyer.

In an exclusive, explosive and passionate interview with Saturday Vanguard, Akagha, who contracted the disease from Miss Justina, was quarantined, treated, cured and discharged last week, spoke on how and why his fiancee died, how he contacted and survived the disease, how he was stigmatized and abandoned by co-workers and neighbours, and why victims must be given adequate care. He said perhaps, Justina would have survived with better care. Read on:

His thoughts on Ebola and late Justina

The truth is that Justina and I were not legally married, we were planning for our traditional marriage in October and she just got this job. She was a qualified graduate nurse and got the job at the First Consultant Hospital in Lagos. She resumed duty at the hospital on the 21st of July, while Patrick Sawyer was admitted at the hospital on the 20th.

He was her first patient. She was one of the nurses that nursed him. She was pregnant and so her immune system was weak, which made it easy for her to contract the disease. On that first day which was a Monday, she was having some pregnancy symptoms, but I just encouraged her to go because it was her first day at work. Sawyer was her first patient.

The next day, Tuesday, she didn't work on Sawyer. Wednesday and Thursday, she was off. Then on Friday, Patrick Sawyer died. They didn't know he had Ebola, it was three days later that they realized it was Ebola.

Dennis Akagha and Late Justina Ejelonu

When did you know that she had contacted the Ebola virus?

It was after Sawyer died that she told me she nursed him but that she was on gloves. She even thanked God that she didn't have direct contact with him. The fever continued and we thought it was just pregnancy symptoms and even when she went to her hospital, they confirmed the same thing. She took drugs and ran tests, yet it persisted. At night, she was usually cold and feverish and her body temperature was usually very high. At a point, I began to suspect that she had contacted the virus. I did some research on the disease and realised that she was having similar symptoms.

On the 14th of August, it became serious, she started stooling and vomiting. I had to clean up everything. All of a sudden, she started bleeding and she started crying that she had lost the pregnancy. I had to call her relatives and other people. The bleeding persisted and I had to clean up everything.

 

While you were attending to her did you wear gloves?

Initially I was not wearing gloves because I felt I had already been exposed to the virus. But later I cautioned myself and started wearing nylon on my hands. But I couldn't stay away from her. I kept consoling her. Even when I took her to the hospital, she wanted to hold me and I told her to also consider my safety. She managed to hold herself and was able to find her way out in a pool of her blood. We chartered a taxi to the hospital, but first, I took her to First Consultant Hospital because I felt they should know more. When we got there, I was directed to IGH, Yaba. I told the taxi driver to take us there. The driver wasn't even aware of what was going on as he took us to Yaba.

Justina was on the floor for 30 minutes before she was attended to. She was screaming that she was going to die. She was seriously bleeding, she had to come out of the taxi and lay on the floor. I ran around, trying to get doctors to attend to her. After everything, they took her in, took her blood samples and the following day, the result came out that it was Ebola. They washed the taxi with chlorine and also bathed the taxi driver and I with chlorine spray.

At that point, the taxi driver knew what was going on, he couldn't even take me home because he was so scared. I had to look for somewhere to pass the night in the hospital. Early the next morning, I left the Hospital. The taxi driver is alive today, nothing happened to him. We have been checking on him and the last time we spoke he told me, he was fine.

So what happened after you got exposed to the virus?

•Akagha with Dr. Terry

14 days after I was exposed to Ebola, my temperature rose from the usual 35.2 degrees centigrade to 37.2. The Lagos State government gave me a thermometer the day I dropped Justina off at the centre. It took them two straight weeks to visit my home and to disinfect it. Before they came, I had already done the much I could do. I used bleach and detergent to clean the whole house, furniture and clothes inclusive.

After that, what happened?

We should be reminded and educated that a healthy person with Ebola virus cannot get anybody infected, except if the person is sick and totally down with the virus like what happened to Sawyer and to my late wife-to-be, Justina. I contacted the virus because Justina was very sick and I was taking care of her without any appropriate protection. When we knew what we were dealing with it was almost too late for me as I had already contacted the virus.

Since you had already visited the centre what else was done for you by the state?

The Lagos State government sent health professionals to check on me regularly to know how l was doing or if l had the signs of the virus manifesting. So they used to come around to check on me. At some point they created scenes with their visits. I was embarrassed and I was stigmatized. I complained severely to them that I didn't like what they were doing. Then, one Saturday they visited again, I complained about the pains I was beginning to experience; excruciating pains around my waist. I started praying and asking people to pray for me.

Before this time, I believed in the Holy Communion, so I usually take it daily and do feet washing. I was going to the hospital daily to see late Justina. Initially, I was seeing her through the window and she would say I should take her out of the hospital. She complained of lack of care.

Perhaps, Justina would have survived the virus, if not for the state she was in. Her immune system was down because she was pregnant. Along the line, she had a miscarriage and lost the baby due to the Ebola virus disease.

The doctors, who were supposed to do an evacuation on her couldn't do it because they claimed that an evacuation was too risky as she was heavily infected and may pass on the virus to another person.

Since nothing was done even after the bleeding had stopped, it led to more complications for her because the already dead foetus somehow got rotten in the womb and started a damaging process which led to further complication. Meanwhile, she was still stooling and vomiting and since nobody could dare to touch her, she was left on top of her excretions even when she couldn't do much for herself due to her weak state. She was given her incisions and other drugs. I believe if some people survived Justina should have been one of them. At a point, I wished I was a doctor myself; I would have taken the risk of doing the evacuation because it really affected her.

When was the last day you saw Justina?

The Lagos State Ebola quarantine centre and Late Nurse Obi Justina Ejelonu

The last day I saw her, I had to go inside the ward because she was so unkempt as nobody attended to her. At that time, the quarantined patients were in the former facility where there was no water and she had messed up herself again. I had to look for water to clean her up, change her pampers and arrange her bedding. Since I was aware of what I was dealing with, I got myself protected while cleaning up the place. I made sure she looked better than when I saw her. Justina was shivering the last day I saw her, one side of her stomach was already swollen, and her legs were also swollen. I prayed for her. At a point, she needed oxygen and the hospital couldn't provide it. Her friends had to provide it. That was the last day I saw her.

On Sunday Morning, I called her line like I usually did before visiting her, but she didn't pick her calls. When I got to the hospital, I was told that she was dead.

Was she taking your calls while she was at the facility?

Yes, in fact she called me that last day and I knew she was going to give up, because she was saying some funny things. She said I should tell my people to go and meet her father so as to finalize our marriage plans, that she's leaving that place.

From what you have said, were you not scared that you may die as well from the disease?

I personally don't believe in taking medications. I had the mentality that I wasn't sick. I told the government what I was experiencing. On the day they came to pick me up for treatment, all of a sudden, my temperature went back to normal. The shivering and pains were all gone. So they decided that they would be checking on me. But it got to a point people stopped selling things to me. It was as if the government got a report that I shouldn't be around. So, they came and said I should go with them that they wanted to take my blood sample. I went with them and they took my blood sample, I was kept in a ward known as the 'suspected ward.'

The result came out and it was positive. I was then taken to a confined ward. One of the doctors from UNICEF, a white lady told me that they were having issues with the results and that they would have to re-run the tests. They did the tests again and it was still positive. I told them that it wasn't my result and that I was healthy. I was even doing my usual exercises (press-ups) every morning. I kept telling them that I wasn't sick. They took my blood sample the third time. That night, they told me that I tested negative in the last result and that I don't have any reason to remain there. That was how I was discharged.

While you were going through all these at the facility what happened to your job?

I was a marketer in an oil and gas company. I worked on commission basis, but at a point, I realized that people were not calling me and when I called they won't pick my calls. Even the person that I report directly refused to pick my calls and also refused to associate with me. Justina and I just got our jobs, she got hers at First Consultant Hospital and I got mine as a marketer with the oil and gas company.

Do you think that the government or First Consultant Hospital should compensate Justina's family?

Although, no amount of money they give to the family will bring her back I think the government owes Justina's family a lot because she died trying to save a situation. Justina died in active service as her death wasn't natural.

So how did your status change from positive to negative?

I was reading a book on healing and taking of the Holy Communion. So I learnt to take Holy Communion morning, afternoon and night. I also engaged myself in feet-washing every day before going to bed. The Almighty God saved me; the Holy Spirit healed me. It wasn't as though l didn't fall sick as l had direct contact with Justina but the Almighty God healed me. When I was discharged, I got to my house on Saturday evening and spent two hours the next day, Sunday, thanking God on my own. I didn't go to church or anywhere because of the already established stigma but today I can confidently attend church activities because I guess they all know I'm free now. I know my faith and belief healed me. God also worked for me apart from the fact that my immune system is also working. I believe I got healed also because friends prayed for me.